Samundhar Singh repents through forgiveness
On March 23, 2017, the Catholic Church confirmed the martyrdom of the Clare Sisters of India Rani Maria Vattalil (1954-1995), who was stabbed 54 times by a murderer. Radio Vatican speaks of the nun's family's forgiveness for the murderer: through a symbolic act, one of the nun's sisters recognized the killer as "sister".
Rani Maria was born on January 29, 1954, the second child in a family of seven children in Pulluvazhy, a small village near Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala. In 1972, she entered the Congregation of Clara Francis in Kidangoor, two years after her first vows. She chose the name Rani (Queen) Maria. In 1975 she began her mission in Bijnore, North India, in 1992 she moved to Udainagar, Dewas district, where she worked with landless farmers, fighting for the peasants to have their rights and receive their wages. correct. A struggle that does not satisfy the landowners.
On February 25, 1995, Samundhar Singh, an employee of the landowners was stabbed on the bus. She was 41 years old at the time. As she ran out of the bus, the killer gave chase and stabbed her. When she died on the roadside of Nachanbore Hill, near Indore, Sister Rani Maria continued to cry: “Jesus! Jesus!” until the last breath.
Sister Rania Maria's family made the public laugh when they forgave the murderer Samundhar Singh, making Samundhar their "little brother": Sister Selmy Paul's sister, also a religious, married "rakhi" to murderer, a sacred symbol of brotherhood and protection according to Hindu custom. And Mrs. Eliswa, the mother of Sister Rani Maria, also went to prison to visit the murderer, kissing the hand of the man who killed her child.
This behavior shocked Samundhar, who repented of his actions. Now, after his prison term, he leads an exemplary life in his village. In 2013, the documentary The Heart of a Murderer , which tells the story of Samundhar's crime and repentance, won the World Film Festival Award for Religious Harmony.
The Order's website highlights that Sister Rani Maria's martyrdom helped sow the "seeds of love, justice and fraternity in many hearts. This is an event that honors Udainagar and the province of Amala.”
Throughout her life, Sister Rani Maria has been very involved in the education of children. She works in development programs for the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, against the hidden interests of the lenders and the exploiters of society.
Translated by Joseph Nguyen Tung Lam