PANJIM: Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa, who is also the Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on Friday, left for Indore to participate in the Solemn Ceremony of Sr Rani Maria’s Beatification on Saturday.
The Ceremony, to be presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (Vatican), will be attended by the Vatican Ambassador in India, nearly 50 Bishops and hundreds of priests and nuns, besides thousands of lay faithful.
Sister Rani Maria Vattalil, originally from Kerala, was murdered on February 25, 1995. According to the police, she was stabbed 54 times in front of more than 50 bus passengers in a jungle area near Udainagar (Madhya Pradesh) allegedly at the behest of some landlords who were affected by the nun’s social work among the poor and the landless, particularly village women, who were organising self-help groups, according to a press note issued by the CBCI.
The Beatification is a declaration by the Pope that the deceased is now dwelling in heaven and can be prayed to by those living on earth.
As a process, the Beatification consists of a long and detailed examination of the life, virtues, writings and reputation of holiness of the candidate. Sister Rani Maria will now be called ‘Blessed’ and may be venerated by the faithful in India and some other specific places.
The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman will join the whole Catholic Church in praising God for this new gift of a saint to the Church in India. Pastors, parish communities and religious institutions have been encouraged to raise special prayers of thanksgiving during their worship services on Saturday.
Samandar Singh, the man who served a prison term for the 1995 murder of Sr Rani, told Asia News in 2010, “I accept full responsibility for my heinous murder of Sr Rani Maria. I cannot say that I was instigated, because my own hands stabbed her repeatedly and for this, I will regret my actions till the day I die.”
