EVENTS

The Pope in India

In Delhi, Pope John Paul II reaffirms the Church's commitment to enter "ever more deeply" into dialogue with the other religions of the world.

V. VENKATESAN
in New Delhi

THE four-day visit of Pope John Paul II, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Vatican City State, to New Delhi in the first week of November evoked keen interest among people of all religions and brought special cheer to India's Christian community. The Pope flew in on the evening of November 5 amidst tight security. He was given a simple official reception at the airport.

The 79-year-old pontiff, who is a head of state, stayed at the Holy See Apostolic Nunciature on Shanti Path in New Delhi's diplomatic enclave.

On the morning of November 6, the Pope was accorded an official reception in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. He met President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vice-President Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at Hyderabad House. A press note issued by the Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi, which organised the visit, described the meetings as cordial. The three leaders showed great respect for the Pope, it said.

V. SUDERSHAN

During his meeting with the Pope, the President emphasised that the freedom of religion was the cornerstone of Indian democracy and that it was paramount despite the rise of late of some intolerant fringe groups. He recalled the Pope's earlier visit to India in 1986 and appreciated his call for friendly relations among peoples in his message for the third millennium. They spoke about Mother Teresa.

Vajpayee thanked the Pope for being in India on the happy occasion of Deepavali, the festival of lights which signifies the victory of good over evil. He observed that perhaps the papal visit added more light to the festival. Vajpayee underlined the fact that India is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nation that accords paramount importance to peace and cooperation.

Krishan Kant told the Pope that India would remain a haven for all religions because it believed that nation and religion are not synonymous.

As part of his official engagements, the Pope laid a wreath, one made up of yellow roses and carnations, at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. He inscribed in the guest book a quote from the Mahatma - "A culture cannot survive if it attempts to be exclusive"- and signed Johnnes Paulus II.

THE Pope's religious engagements began with a meeting with the bishops of the Asia Synod and the promulgation of the Asian Synod Document, "Ecclesia in Asia" (Church in Asia), at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi on the evening of November 6. The Asian Synod is the special assembly of the bishops of Asia.

V. SUDERSHAN
At a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee with the Pope.

The Asian Synod was convened in the Vatican from April 19 to May 14, 1998. It concluded on November 6, 1999 in New Delhi, when the Pope signed and issued an "Apostolic Exhortation" incorporating the recommendations of the bishops of the synod. Two hundred and fifty-two Church leaders attended the Asian Synod. The Indian delegation, the largest in terms of size, comprised 24 members. The second largest was the 20-member delegation from the Philippines. Also invited were three prelates from China (a cardinal, a bishop, and a coadjutor bishop); they, however, did not attend.

The 140-page document released by the Pope - "Post-Synod Apostolic Exhortation of the Holy Father"- analyses the social, political, cultural, developmental and moral landscape at the turn of the millennium and charts the course for the Church. It calls upon the Church to proclaim the "Good News"(the message of Jesus Christ) "with loving respect and esteem". This is mischievously interpreted by the Church's critics as a call for conversions to Christianity.

THE four-hour Holy Mass held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on November 7 to mark the conclusion of the Special Assembly of Asian Synod of Bishops, was considerably Indianised. The special altar, shaped like hands raised in prayer, was flanked by a portrait of Mother Teresa, drawn by a young artist, Adarsh Alphons, to the left and the Gospel to the right. A huge Indian brass lamp stood in the foreground, while bright diyas (earthern lamps) painted on the rising stage decorated the terraced sanctuary. A group of tribal men and women from Ranchi danced to folk tunes as they ushered in the procession of priests and bishops. Bishops of the Oriental rites lent a special colour to the solemn ranks of the clergy. Other Indian characteristics included the singing of a Tamil devotional song and an aarti ceremony.

Handing over the post-synodal document, the Pope hoped for a great harvest of Christian faith in Asia and bestowed the message of love and hope on the people of this continent. About 70,000 people thronged the stadium.

The Pope made a slow round of the stadium in his Popemobile, waving and smiling, instantly inviting hand-clapping, which did not stop for several minutes. People burst into the rousing musical score of "God Bless our Pope! The Great, the Good". The Pope ascended the stage on an electrically operated platform, which was shielded by a huge banner to protect him from sunlight.

After the Mass, the Pope administered the Holy Communion to 30 chosen people, who included the orphaned, the physically handicapped and the terminally ill. The Pope also gave Holy Communion to a group of people representing a cross-section of Asian Catholics. Among them was a 76-year-old woman, Moksha Pakiam, who had come from Bangalore. At the end of the Holy Mass, the Pope held up his hand and said: "Bharat ko aashirwad, shanti! God bless all."

The Pope, in his Homily, said that it was fitting that this document had been signed and issued in India, the home of many of Asia's time-honoured cultures, religions and spiritual traditions. More than 300 bishops and 1,000 priests celebrated the Mass with the Pope.

V. SUDERSHAN
Congress(I) president Sonia Gandhi greets the Pope.

The Pope, an admirer of Mother Teresa, made a special reference to her. "She loved India, She is with the people of India forever," he said. He appealed to the Church not to forget her witness of evangelical love, specially towards the poorest of the poor.

On the evening of November 7, the Pope participated in an inter-religious leaders' meeting, organised at Vigyan Bhavan by the Inter-Ritual Committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and its sister organisations. Those who welcomed the Pope included Shankaracharya Madhavananda Saraswati of Prayagpeeth, Dr. Mufti Mohammed Mukkarram Ahmed, Bhai Manjit Singh Sahib, Acharya Mahaprajna, K. Rajaratnam, Samdhong Rinpoche, Ervad Cawas Daraius Bagli, Ezekiel Isaac Malekar and Zena Sorabjee.

No dialogue took place at the meeting, but the Pope reaffirmed the Church's commitment to enter "ever more deeply" into dialogue with the religions of the world. The Church sees this dialogue as an act of love which has its roots in God himself. He clarified, however, that "dialogue is never an attempt to impose our own views upon others, since such dialogue would become a form of spiritual and cultural domination". He explained: "Holding firmly to what we believe, we listen respectfully to others."

Giving credit to Indian historical figures such as Ashoka, Akbar, Shivaji, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Viveka-nanda, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the Pope underlined the importance of universal brotherhood and religious freedom, which he said, constituted "the very heart of human rights". He emphasised that individuals must be recognised as having the right to change their religion, if their conscience so demanded - obliquely referring to the protests from Hindu fundamentalist groups against conversions to Christianity.

The Pope held a Private Holy Mass in the chapel of the Vatican Embassy on the morning of November 8. He left for Georgia later.