Rome, Italy, Jan 5, 2016 / 04:41 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The green light has officially been given to open the cause for sainthood of the nearly 100 Christians murdered in the Indian state of Odisha in 2008. The opening of the cause is a source of pride for the relatives of those killed, but also “for the whole Church this is a pride because our men, our women and our children, those who were martyred for the faith, they are not forgotten,” Archbishop John Barwa told CNA Jan. 5. Although those killed often lost their lives in gruesome ways, “their death has brought newness of life (and) newness of faith, and for this all of them (the victims' families) feel proud.” Archbishop Barwa oversees the diocese of Cuttack Bhubaneswar in India's Odisha province, and was put in charge of organizing the cause by Cardinal Oswald Gracias. Cardinal Gracias, who is the Archbishop of Bombay, President of both the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, and a member of Pope Francis’ “Council of Nine” cardinals, gave the official OK to begin the process to declare the Christians massacred in 2008 as the “martyrs of Kandhamal.” Following the August 2008 murder of Swami Lakshmanananda, leader of the right-wing Hindu nationalist organization Vishna Hindu Parishad, Hindu fundamentalists attacked the Christian minority in Kandhamal district of Odisha, whom they blamed for the murder. In the months that followed, nearly 100 Christians were killed for refusing to convert to Hinduism and 56,000 people were displaced, taking refuge in forests where they were susceptible to starvation and deadly insect bites. Some 6,500 houses and 395 churches were destroyed, and about 10,000 people still haven’t returned due to fear of reprisals. Some who had converted to Christianity from Hinduism were targeted in the attacks. After the ordeal was over, some of the converts returned to Hinduism out of fear, though they continue to believe in and practice the Christian faith secretly. The families and friends of those who died have recounted stories of the brutal deaths of their loved ones, many of which include torture, the demand to renounce their faith, dismemberment and worse. In an interview with Agenzia Fides published Jan. 4, Cardinal Gracias said that he began to actively encourage the Indian Church to take on the Kandhamal martyrs’ cause after meeting with the wife of one of the victims last November. He said that he has already spoken to the Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato about the process, and that he is “willing to speak personally about Kandhamal violence and its martyrs to Pope Francis.” In his comments to CNA/EWTN News, Archbishop Barwa said that the official initiation of the process “has been great” for Christians in India given the various challenges they face as a minority, including fundamentalist threats. “This will be a strengthening for the revitalizing” of the Christians affected by the 2008 attacks, he said, adding that the cause “will be truly a strength for the Christians, especially in this region.” The archbishop noted that since he was not in Odisha when the massacres took place, he had to wait to gather more information before he could advance the martyrdom cause. Now that things are moving forward, the archbishop has met with the council of his episcopal conference as well as some of the leading priests and religious in his diocese to discuss the formation of a team who will work on the cause. Though the team has yet to be formed, Archbishop Barwa said he is discussing candidates with his collaborators. In the meantime, he said that plans are moving forward to build a memorial for the martyrs. A location has already been selected for a small museum commemorating those who were killed. While religious tensions in the area have cooled to the extent that Hindus piled into churches alongside Christians for this year’s Christmas celebrations, the archbishop said that fundamentalists will always exist, but that as Christians, “we will go ahead with building up what’s best.” One thing the archbishop said has impressed him about the Christians of Odisha after his appointment in 2011 is their commitment to their faith. He noted that one of the first things he did as bishop was visit all of the parishes, priests and religious in his diocese to speak with them and give them a message of hope. In response, what Archbishop Barwa heard from his people was that “Yes, they have destroyed all our property, our houses, and have killed our loved ones, but they have not destroyed our faith and we are proud of our faith.” The advancement of the cause of martyrdom, then, “will be a boosting up (of) the faith and also it will bring a tremendous amount of unity and solidarity to our people.” Read more

Stockholm, Sweden, Jan 4, 2016 / 04:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- For years, Ellinor Grimmark had dreamed of being a midwife in her Swedish hometown of Skarstad.  But those dreams were shattered when a Swedish court told her that if she wished to help bring new life into the world, she must also be willing to end those new lives before birth. On Nov. 12, the district court of Jonkoping County Council in Sweden ruled that midwives must be willing to perform abortions because “the region has an obligation to ensure that women have effective access to abortion” and because their employers require them to do so. “To become a midwife has been a dream of mine for many years,” Grimmark told CNA. “It is, without a doubt, the best job in the whole world. It has to be – to be right there when a child takes its first breath. It’s indescribable.” “I believe it’s important that people have the right to listen to their conscience and avoid certain things that go against their deepest convictions, especially when it comes to very important issues concerning life and death,” Grimmark said.   “Employers should not have the right to discriminate against a person's beliefs. That is against the law, but they do it anyway,” she added. Grimmark, a devout Christian, grew up in the Swedish countryside outside of the city of Jonkoping with her four sisters and brother. She currently lives nearby with her husband and two children.  Grimmark obtained a Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery from the University of Skovde in January 2014. Before graduating, she applied for work as a midwife at several women’s clinics.  In November 2013, Hoglandssjukhuset women’s clinic hired her, only to later deny her employment because of her views against abortion, according to her lawsuit. She has a similar experience a few months later at Ryhovs women’s clinic. The lawsuit said she was told by management that assisting in abortions was part of belonging to a women’s clinic. In January, Varnamo Hospital’s women’s clinic also withdrew a job offer from Grimmark after discovering that she had filed a religious discrimination complaint against Hoglandssjukhuset with Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman. The head of Varnamo Hospital told Grimmark that employees were not allowed to publicly oppose abortion, the lawsuit said.  “The rights of conscience are explicitly recognized in international law,” Ruth Nordstrom, who is legally representing Grimmark, told CNA. “According to the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 9, which is directly applicable to Swedish law since 1995, everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”  “The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has also explicitly affirmed that rights of conscience for sincerely held religious and moral beliefs fall within the scope of Article 9 of the Convention,” said Nordstrom, who also serves as president of the Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers. “Moreover, in 2010, the Council of Europe Resolution 1763 established that healthcare professionals shall not be coerced or discriminated upon because of refusal to perform or assist in any act that could end a human life at its beginning or end,” she added. Sweden’s abortion law currently permits state-funded abortion until the 22nd week of pregnancy. When the Swedish Abortion Act was drafted in 1974, the Swedish parliament committee on health and welfare said medical workers would not be forced to participate in abortions if they had ethical or religious objections.  “Sweden had previously allowed individual hospital managers to accommodate midwives and doctors who don’t want to participate in abortions,” said Grimmark. “But now, hospitals and politicians are stating that a condition for work is to perform abortions.” “I now have to work in Norway because I am no longer welcome to work in Sweden. It is clear that Sweden needs a legal precedent to protect the freedom of conscience of healthcare workers.”  The hospital Grimmark currently works for in Norway submitted a letter to the Jonkoping County Council on her behalf. The letter stated that she does her job well and is very diligent. It also said that her refusal to assist in performing abortions has never caused any problems for patients or co-workers.  In April 2014, the Swedish Equality Ombudsman ruled against Grimmark, claiming that the hospital refused to hire her “not because of her religion, but because she was not prepared to perform duties that were part of the job description.” “A midwife is responsible for the care of the mother and the child before, during and after childbirth,” Nordstrom said. “The requirement to perform abortions cannot be a litmus test for employment as a midwife or nurse.” “According to the Swedish Discrimination act, all employers have an obligation to cooperate with workers to obtain equal rights and opportunities in working life regardless of their religion or beliefs,” she said.  The controversy comes at a time when Sweden is experiencing an acute shortage of midwives.  In 2014, Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare conducted a survey that showed that in Gothenburg – the second largest city in Sweden – 50 percent of midwives feel that they are overworked and face too high levels of anxiety.  The survey also revealed that patient safety was in jeopardy in Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden. Skane University Hospital attributed the problem to staff shortages, while Soder Sjukhuset – one of the largest hospitals in Stockholm – has called the situation worrisome and said that it would like to recruit 20 new midwives. “Already in Sweden there is a massive shortage of midwives,” said Robert Clarke, legal counsel for ADF International, which has submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of Grimmark. “Removing willing and able midwives over such a highly politicized and polarizing position not only hurts midwives, it also directly hurts the patients who are receiving inadequate medical care because of the shortages,” he added.  “It is particularly surprising that the Health Region of Jonkoping, would rather lose competent healthcare workers to Norway than grant them freedom of conscience,” Nordstrom said. “Sweden’s current work ban on midwives with a conscientious objection does not meet the statutory requirements for patient safety and contradicts the right to safe maternity health care. This is not in the best interest of patients.”  Grimmark and her attorney are now filing an appeal with the Gota Hovratt, a court in Jonkoping. They are hopeful about the outcome of the appeal. “Religious freedom is being curtailed dramatically in many respects in Europe, and especially in Sweden,” said Nordstrom. “If Ellinor’s case is brought to the European Court of Human Rights, it will have a major influence on religious freedom in every country in Europe.” “The District Court only examined if Ellinor was discriminated because of her religious beliefs and did not at all examine the relevant case law of the European Court,” said Nordstrom. “It is remarkable that the court states that the question of freedom of conscience should only be examined if a person is not religious.”  “The fundamental question is: ‘Is there room for conscience and ethics in the Swedish healthcare system?’”  Despite opposition, Grimmark says she isn’t discouraged.  “Wonderful people have been sending me letters, flowers and other gifts to show their support,” she said. “Many people have told me that they are praying for me and my family. I’m so grateful to God for all these people.” “As a midwife, I want to exercise a profession which defends life and saves lives at all cost,” she emphasized. “Somebody has to take the little children's side, somebody has to fight for their right to life.”  “A midwife described to me how she had held an aborted baby in her arms, still alive, and cried desperately for an hour while the baby struggled to breathe. These children do not even have a right to pain relief. I cannot take part in this.”  Read more