A statue of the Madonna has been vandalized in Aligonda, in the district of Gajapati, Orissa. On March 4th, the sculpture of the Virgin was found headless in the grotto of the church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, which belongs to the diocese of Berhampur.
As reported by asianews.it, p. Biro, former parish priest remarked that “It is very sad to know that the religious sentiment of the Christian minority in India is offended. The nature of Christians is loving peace, [we want] to build unity and brotherhood with one another. It is really depressing that innocent Christians are harassed and threatened.” Further, he added, “The incident has knocked down the soul of the Christians as if they had lost a family member. People cry and pray for the statue of Mary because even if she is beheaded, she remains very dear to them.”
Meanwhile, on March 5, about 130 km away from the accident site, more than 15 thousand people took part in the feast of the Madonna di Partama, sub-center of the parish of Daringbadi, in the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. The massive presence of the faithful of every religion shows that devotion to Mary is strong even among non-Christians.
Source:www.asianews.it
