MESSAGE BOARD
NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Appeal to Pope to use good offices to initiate peace dialogue

The Global Council of Indian Christians has appealed to Pope John Paul II to use his 'good offices' to persuade the Indian government to initiate a peace dialogue between Indian Christians and Hindus to 'remove unfounded fears about Christianity.'

The dialogue, the council said in a letter to the Pope, could address the issues of overcoming 'the present mood of mistrust and intolerance' and prepare a platform for continuous dialogue between different communities at the national, state and district levels.

The recent meeting of the Pope and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Vatican City had already created a favourable atmosphere for reconciliation between Hindus and Christians, who had been living in peace and harmony for the last 2,000 years, the letter, written by council national convenor Sajan K George, said.

He said during his audience with Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, the latter had indicated that he was ready to enter into a dialogue immediately and also invited the 'Holy Father' to visit India once again.

George pleaded with the Pope for 'appropriate action and intervention' to help restore confidence and trust between the communities with the process of reconciliation.

Tell us what you think of this report