INDIA: WIDOW OF MURDERED MISSIONARY URGES FORGIVENESS AS MURDERER IS RELEASED EARLY FROM PRISON
One of the thirteen men found guilty of burning missionary Graham Staines and his two sons to death in India in 1999 was released last month for good behavior after 25 years in prison. Mahendra Hembram, now age 51, was cheered by members of Hindu nationalist groups and then led on a celebratory parade as he left Keonjhar Jail in Odisha on April 16, after posing for photos with prison officials. The celebration was criticized by members of the Christian and human rights communities in India and around the world. But Staines’ widow is urging people to forgive.
Subhankar Ghosh, who is the spokesperson in Odisha for Gladys Staines, told the Telegraph of India, “Mahendra is a reformed man now. He has already repented for his crime. Raking up the past will serve no purpose. We must hate the sin but not the sinner. Sinners have changed and God has forgiven them.”
According to Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, Gladys Staines’ call for forgiveness echoes the one she first made when the killers were sentenced in 2003.
“At that time, Mrs. Staines released a statement saying that she had forgiven the killers and had no bitterness toward them,” says Representative Foley. “She said she had high regard for Indian people, and she praised them for their tolerance. She and her daughter stayed in India until 2004, continuing on the couples’ work with lepers, since Mrs. Staines said she didn’t want to leave the people who had trusted them. And she continued to travel back and forth to India since that time.”
Representative Foley says that Mrs. Staines’ attitude and actions show the difference between Christian human rights groups and Christian ministry.
“Mrs. Staines has always been clear that personal forgiveness and the legal process are two different things,” says Representative Foley. “She has always used her public comments to proclaim the forgiveness available in Christ for all people, rather than getting involved in politics or issues of law. It is why she has been called the second most well-known Christian in India, after Mother Theresa.”
Gladys Staines, now age 74 and living in Australia, released the following statement at the time of the sentencing of Mahendra Hembram and his co-defendants, in September 2003:
“I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness because forgiveness brings healing and our land [India] needs healing from hatred and violence. Forgiveness and the consequences of the crime should not be mixed up. God in Christ has forgiven me and expects His followers to do the same. The Bible says: ‘To whomsoever you forgive their sins will be forgiven’. Therefore, in the light of eternity we all need forgiveness of our sins to enter heaven…. No individual is above the law of the land. I have no comments regarding the law taking its own course in crime and punishment. We are called to be under subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. We need to honour both God and man respectively.“
The Staines family. Gladys, now 74, is on the left. She and her daughter, now a medical doctor, live in Australia. Graham Staines, on the right, and the couples’ two young sons were burnt to death by a Hindu nationalist mob in India in 1999.
Representative Foley says that she believes Christian ministries and Christian human rights organizations can learn from Mrs. Staines’ approach.
“It is of course deeply concerning for Christians to see Mahendra Hembram being cheered by Hindu nationalists and to hear the supportive comments about him and the other killers from Hindu nationalist political leaders,” says Representative Foley. “It’s easy to see why Christian human rights organizations around the world put out statements condemning these events. The Christian human rights organizations feel like their role is to stand up for other Christians. But Mrs. Staines’ focus has always been solely on preaching and living the gospel. Even when her husband and two young sons were burned to death, she focused on preaching the gospel and staying faithful to the ministry Christ had given to her and her husband. In the most difficult moments, Mrs. Staines has always chosen not to comment on politics or the legal process but instead to share the message that only Christians know, which is the forgiveness of sins available in Jesus Christ.”
“The solution to Hindu nationalist politics is not Christian politics or even international human rights,” says Representative Foley. “The solution is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s website offers a fuller recounting of the Staines’ family story, which can be seen at https://vomkorea.com/en/nl-11/.