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Indian leaders allay Pope's fears on Christian persecution

George Iype in New Delhi

Pope John Paul II, the head of Vatican state and the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholics, met President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday to discuss what officials described as "peace between nations and unity and harmony of religions."

The Roman pontiff who arrived in New Delhi on Friday night was accorded a rousing reception at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan at 0915 hours on Saturday.

The President, the prime minister, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, the Chief of Army Staff General V P Malik and key government officials were present at the 30-minute welcoming ceremony.

Bent with age and probably tired because of the long journey, the Pope covered only part of the nearly 200-metre-long, triangle-shaped, red-carpet laid out for him. After barely 50 meters he paused, saluted the guard of honour and walked back to shake hands with the President, the prime minister and others.

The Pope muttered a few words to Vajpayee which the latter could not grasp. Sensing this, the papal secretary translated it to Vajpayee. The Holy Father also listened patiently to Sonia when she folded her hands before him and uttered a few words. "He must have spoken to Sonia in Italian so that she could understand better," an official commented.

Among those present to welcome the Pope were a group of Christian politicians that included Nationalist Congress Party leader P A Sangma, Congress leader Margaret Alva, Nagaland Governor M M Jacob and Kerala Revenue Minister P J Joseph. Alva kneeled down and kissed the Pope's hands.

Soon the Pope, the President and the prime minister posed for photographs. "It is a great moment for the church in India and Asia. We value Indian democracy as one of the best models of government in the world," Cardinal Kim Sou-Hwan of Seoul told rediff.com.

"The Holy Father is agile in heart and spirit. He loves India and he is an admirer of Indian democracy and Mahatma Gandhi," the Cardinal stated.

The ceremonial parade over, the Pope accompanied by Narayanan went into the President's Morning Room for a 20-minute personal meeting. A 14-member team of the papal delegation which included cardinals, bishops and theologians also met the President to wish him and India all the best in the new millennium.

Rashtrapati Bhawan officials said in his meeting with the President, the Pope talked about "peace and unity" between peoples, religions and continents. The pontiff also stressed that religion should shape the agenda for the good of the people and that faith should give succour to them in their struggles.

Narayanan has met the Pope several times in the past, mostly in Vatican during his career as a diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service and during his tenure as a federal minister. Officials said the Pope recollected his earlier meetings with the President.

Soon after his meeting with the Pope, Narayanan left Delhi for a four-day official trip to Austria.

Later the Pope drove down to Hyderabad House where Prime Minister Vajpayee met him separately. Vice-President Krishna Kant and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh also called on the pontiff.

Officials described the Pope-Vajpayee meeting as "warm and cordial." Both exchanged pleasantries and settled down for a 20-minute chat. Vajpayee inquired about his health and wished him a happy stay in the Indian capital.

"No controversial issues were discussed during the Pope's meeting with Vajpayee. But the Pope definitely talked about peace, unity and harmony between religions and different faiths," an official told rediff.com.

The official confirmed that the issue of ''anti-Christian violence did not come up for discussion."

Both the President and Prime Minister Vajpayee assured the Pope that there is no religious discrimination and persecution in India.

Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navrao Valls said that the President and the prime minister have assured the Pope that the anti-Christian violence and protests by certain groups against the papal visit are "a marginal phenomenon."

"India is a secular country. It is not a country for any one religion," Vajpayee told the Pope assuring the pontiff that the Bharatiya Janata Party government will protect the minorities in the country.

Vatican officials said, "The Pope did not get a chance to take up the issue of the anti-Christian violence in the country." "Before the Pope could take it up, the President, the prime minister and the vice-president assured him that the Christians and other minorities are safe in the country," Valls said.

On the issue of conversion, the Vatican official said the subject did not come up for discussion between the Pope and the Indian government leaders. "Conversion is a human rights issue. It is being misunderstood in India," he added.

When the Pope noted that India is a land of many languages and the prime minister himself speaks more than one language, Vajpayee said India is multi-lingual and multi-religious and this reflected unity in diversity.

Vajpayee also told him about the recent elections and the mandate he got from the people. He recalled that he is heading a coalition and the coalition experiment is successful.

The two leaders also exchanged views on aspects of the foreign policy of India.

The External affairs ministry, in a release, said ''his holiness wished the prime minister well in the fulfilment of his tasks.''

The vice president and the Pope exchanged warm greetings and sentiments of goodwill and had a philosophical exchange of views on human issues including the importance of the family in society. In welcoming the pontiff to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, the vice president also discussed with him Gandhian philosophy, particularly the spiritual uplift of humanity.

The papal delegation at the talks consisted of Cardinal Sodana, Cardinal Schotte, Cardinal Tomko, Archibishop Giovanni, Vatican's ambassador in India Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri and the Pope's private secretary Bishop Stanislaus Dziwisz.

Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja, principal secretary to the prime minister Brajesh Mishra, and foreign secretary K Raghunath were with the prime minister.

After these meetings held at the Pink Room of Hyderabad House, the Pope left for Rajghat to pay his homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

Additional reportage: UNI

Photographs by: Jewella C Miranda

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