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Pope bids adieu to India

The leader of the Catholic Church Pope John Paul II left for Georgia this morning by a chartered Air India flight after a three-day state visit to India during which he emphasised the right of individuals to religious freedom and called for an end to inter-religious conflict.

The visit, preceded by protests by some Sangh Parivar affiliates, passed off smoothly. The protests had prompted the government to accord the Pope the tightest security cover, equivalent to the President.

The Pope was given a warm send off at the VIP terminal of the Palam technical area by Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja, Foreign Secretary K Raghunath, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India Archbishop Alan de Lastic, Apostolic Nuncio (Vatican ambassador to India) Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, India's ambassador to Switzerland and the Vatican K P Balakrishnan and clergymen.

Panja later expressed satisfaction at the successful conclusion of the pontiff's visit.

''India is known for its hospitality. Some confusion had been created by certain statements and acts of some people but thankfully everything passed off well,'' he said.

UNI

The Pope's Visit

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