Antioch head concludes visit, pleads believers to serve nation

New Delhi – Orthodox Patriarch Ignatios Zakka I of Antioch concluded his visit to India by urging his Indian followers to serve their country.

The Damascus–based patriarch, whom the Syrian Orthodox Church in India recognizes as its supreme head, was on an 11–day official visit and had spent the last three days in New Delhi.

While in the capital, he called on India's president, vice president, prime minister and opposition leaders.

The Syrian Orthodox Church's Archdiocese of Greater India, based in New Delhi, organized a public reception for the patriarch the day he arrived in the capital. Thousands of people lined the road, with traditional bands and colorful umbrellas, as the patriarch was driven to the venue in an open vehicle.

At the public meeting, Patriarch Zakka told his followers, who originate from the southern Indian state of Kerala and trace their faith to Saint Thomas the Apostle, to be loyal to their country.

"You cannot be faithful to your religion unless you commit yourself for the country," the patriarch said, asking them to work toward India's development. He told them that while practicing their faith "with utmost sincerity, (they) should serve the country with integrity."

At a press conference on the eve of his departure from India, the patriarch told reporters India is "in his heart," and that its progress and "great democratic values" have always impressed him.

He lauded India's democracy and the government's efforts to improve its people's conditions. When asked about attacks against religious minorities in certain parts of India, the replied that Indians in general are "very responsible" and can manage their affairs.

Earlier, the patriarch spent a week in Kerala, where he first arrived. He headed a synod and attended several programs that his Indian followers organized there.