| NEW DELHI, India
(AP) - A Hindu group allied with the governing party has asked Pope John Paul II to affirm
that all religions are equal when he comes to India next month, an Indian news agency
reported Tuesday. The demand by the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh echoed calls made in recent weeks by other Hindu allies of Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. They coincide with a 650-mile march protesting the pope's
visit by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council.
The march from the southwestern state of Goa will reach New
Delhi on Nov. 4, the eve of the pope's visit.
[...]
H.V. Seshadri, general secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh, told activists the pope should announce that Hinduism and Christianity are equal
paths to salvation, the Press Trust of India news agency said.
It quoted Seshadri as saying the pope was denied permission to
visit China and Sri Lanka because those governments feared his visit would encourage
proselytizing by Christian missionaries.
[...]
During the Nov. 5-8 papal visit - the second in nearly 15 years
- the pope will participate in a gathering of Asian bishops, meet Indian secular and
religious leaders and celebrate Mass at Nehru Stadium in the Indian capital.
[...]
[Note : This article is excerpted] |
