The Vatican has initiated the process to beatify 35 Christians killed during the 2008 communal riots in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, delighting Church leaders in the state who said this was a nod to “love, compassion and justice”.

Beatification, in which a person is conferred with the title of “Blessed”, is a step preceding canonisation.

These 35 Christians had resisted pressure from Hindutva groups to convert to Hinduism, Archbishop John Barwa of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, which covers Kandhamal, told The Telegraph on Saturday. They and dozens of other Christians were later killed when the riots broke out, Church sources said.

Communal violence had flared up in Kandhamal after the murder of Hindu monk Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2008, coinciding with Janmashtami.

Eight people — Maoists and their sympathisers —were convicted of the murder, Church sources said, and their appeals are pending. However, Hindutva groups allege a Christian “conspiracy” behind the monk’s murder.

The Kandhamal riots forced chief minister Naveen Patnaik to end his 11-year-old alliance with the BJP to express his commitment to secularism and communal harmony.

In June 2022, Naveen flew to Vatican City to pay obeisance to Pope Francis, his act seen as part of his efforts to reassure minorities in Odisha.

In May this year, Archbishop John Barwa furnished documents relating to the 35 Kandhamal Christians before the Vatican.

“Kantheswar Digal and his companions set an example —they laid down their lives for their steadfast faith and devotion,” Barwa told this newspaper.

“After 15 years of effort from our side on the documentation work relating to the work of Digal and 34 others, the Vatican has finally started the process of beatification.”

Barwa added: “We will organise ‘prathana sabhas’ in all the churches of Kandhamal and other parts of the state. We will try to send out a message of brotherhood, communal harmony and peace. We want to forget the riots, in which more than 101 people were killed.”

The state government disputes the figure.

In a letter to all “brothers, sisters and the faithful”, Barwa said: “After careful consideration and prayerful discernment, the Congregation for the Cause of Saints has granted the Nihil Obstat, which signifies that there is no objection to commencing the cause for the beatification of Kantheswar Digal and Companions.”

Father Dibakar Paricchha, PRO of the Odisha Catholic Church, said: “Kantheswar used to work as village catechist. Before the murder of Swami Laxmanananda, there was an attempt to reconvert him. He opposed the reconversion and earned the wrath of Hindu fundamentalists.

“When riots started following the death of Laxmanananda, he decided to leave Kandhamal. The fundamentalists caught hold of him and he was strangled to death on September 25, 2008, and his body was tossed into a nearby river.

“His courage and sacrifice inspire us to stand firm in the face of adversity, and to strive for a world rooted in love, compassion, and justice.”

Some 492 people were convicted in connection with the Kandhamal riots, Church sources said. Many have challenged their convictions and are out on bail.

A judicial commission that inquired into the riots handed in its report several years ago but the state government has not made it public.