INDIA: NEW DELHI: POPE JOHN PAUL II ENCOURAGES EVANGELISM (2) скачать в хорошем качестве

INDIA: NEW DELHI: POPE JOHN PAUL II ENCOURAGES EVANGELISM (2)

(6 Nov 1999) English/Nat Pope John Paul has said Asia's poor are hungry for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and has urged his bishops to spread the Christian message across the Asian continent. In a 29-page document released during his current trip to India, the pontiff praised Christian missionaries across Asia as heroic. He also warned that the church would continue to renounce attempts to bring abortion or population programmes to the area. On Saturday, the frail-looking Pontiff also paid homage to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. The ailing 79-year-old pope appeared in good spirits, but he walked slowly using a cane. He was far less vigorous than during his only other trip to India, 13 years ago. Visiting Gandhi's monument on Saturday, the pontiff stumbled and had to be held up by an aide. His spokesman blamed it on uncomfortable green sandals the pope was asked to wear, since Hindus do not wear shoes at shrines. An aide removed them - and the pope went on with his visit. At the presidential mansion, he held talks with President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Indian government has been eager to play down tensions between Christians and the majority Hindus. Hindu groups are angry about Catholic missionary work in the country and have repeatedly staged protests against the Papal visit. At a grand ceremony at New Delhi's Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, the Pope met the Asian bishops and clergy, who had been waiting for this moment for a year. Bishops from Asia had met for a month at the Vatican in 1998 to discuss how to broaden the reach of their church that claims only three percent of the region's population. Saturday's ceremony rounded off their discussions. The Pontiff used the occasion to unveil the Synod document, spelling out the Vatican's vision for Asia for the next millennium. In his speech to the gathering, the Pope declared his church an ally of Asia's poor. While acknowledging that Christ was often perceived as "foreign" in Asia, the pope said the peoples of the continent needed Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Many radical Hindu groups - including the World Hindu Council - want the Pope to halt all conversions. They say Christianity is not the only path for human salvation. They also want an apology for the killings of Indians by Portuguese Catholic colonialists during the 16th century Inquisition. But there was no hint of apology in the pope's 29-page Apostolic Exhortation. Instead, there was praise for the many missionaries working on the continent. The pontiff called on them to step up evangelisation, particularly to the poor and disenfranchised. At one point during the 90-minute meeting John Paul, clearly fatigued, sat slumped in a red velvet chair. The pope also denounced violence in the name of religion as a travesty of true belief. SOUNDBITE: (English) "In some cases, Asian Christians dwell in lands scarred by conflicts, which are at times presented as the effect of religion. What a travesty of true belief it is." SUPER CAPTION : Pope John Paul II India has 23 (m) million Christians, or two point three percent of the population. Of those, 16 (m) million are Catholic. Close to the cathedral, a group of tribal activists continued their sit-in protest against the activities of Christian missionaries. The pope's visit has triggered a debate about allegedly forced conversions of poor, mostly illiterate Hindus. The church denies such allegations. Christians say their community has been the target of more than 100 attacks by two Hindu fringe groups during the past one year. SOUNDBITE: (English) Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...