The victims of the 2008 anti-Christian pogroms in India have been granted sainthood by the Vatican.

The Vatican has given the Indian archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar permission to initiate a sainthood cause for Kanteswar Digal and thirty-four of his companions.

The 2008 anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal, which resulted in over 100 fatalities, thousands of injuries, the destruction of 300 churches, and the displacement of 50,000 people, are thought to be the cause. The stories that a local Hindu holy man had been killed by Christians infuriated the mobs. The news was announced by Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archbishop John Barwa, who hailed it as a historic day for the Catholic church in Odisha.

A priest called Purushottam Nayak started the cause six years ago when he was assigned to gather information and compile a dossier on the martyrs. The fact that many of the victims belonged to the outdated caste system and were classified as “Dalits” or “Tribals” made the task more difficult. Nayak and his seven-member team were tasked with gathering the following: a list of people who were martyred during persecutions; a critical biography of the individuals proposed; a report on the virtues; an account of the sanctity’s reputation; an account of favours obtained through the individuals’ intercessions; a list of witnesses; any potential roadblocks to the cause; and a compilation of all published writings on the individuals proposed.