QUOTE TRIVANDRUM, India (Reuters) -
Thousands of Christians were flocking to a small town in southern India on Saturday to celebrate the planned canonization of a Roman Catholic nun, against a backdrop of the worst anti-Christian riots in decades.
Sister Alphonsa will become India's first woman saint when she is canonized by Pope Benedict at a special ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday.
"It is a very important event and a big recognition for a woman born in a simple, ordinary Indian family," said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath in eastern Orissa state, where recent attacks on Christians have killed about 35 people.
"At this time of suffering, it will help us and inspire us."
Tens of thousands of people were thronging a church in the town of Bharananganam in Sister Alphonsa's native Kerala state ahead of the occasion.
Special masses are being held in all Catholic churches in the state, where Saint Thomas, one of the 12 apostles, is believed to have arrived in 52 AD, bringing Christianity to India.
Bells will ring and firecrackers will burst across Kerala when the Pope declares Sister Alphonsa a saint at 1.30 p.m. (0800 GMT), said Father Dominic Vechoor, chancellor of Palai diocese, where she was a nun from 1927 till her death in 1946. UNQUOTE
Sister Alphonsa will become India's first woman saint when she is canonized by Pope Benedict at a special ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday.
"It is a very important event and a big recognition for a woman born in a simple, ordinary Indian family," said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath in eastern Orissa state, where recent attacks on Christians have killed about 35 people.
"At this time of suffering, it will help us and inspire us."
Tens of thousands of people were thronging a church in the town of Bharananganam in Sister Alphonsa's native Kerala state ahead of the occasion.
Special masses are being held in all Catholic churches in the state, where Saint Thomas, one of the 12 apostles, is believed to have arrived in 52 AD, bringing Christianity to India.
Bells will ring and firecrackers will burst across Kerala when the Pope declares Sister Alphonsa a saint at 1.30 p.m. (0800 GMT), said Father Dominic Vechoor, chancellor of Palai diocese, where she was a nun from 1927 till her death in 1946. UNQUOTE
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