Church and political leaders in India condole death of the Pope

New Delhi – Amid news of the death of the Pope John Paul II, religious and political leaders in India expressed their condolence, by hailing the pontiff as “a man of God” who “tirelessly worked for peace on this earth.”

“He was indeed a man of God. That’s why he did God’s work of protecting human life, upholding human rights and uniting people,” said Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and the archbishop of Ranchi.

"[Pope] tirelessly worked for peace on this planet and to establish an international order based on equality and justice," said President APJ Abdul Kalam, in his condolence message, adding that the world has lost a “church leader and a statesman who throughout his life worked for the needy and oppressed.”

“I am deeply saddened on the passing away of Pope John Paul II,” he said, conveying the condolences of the “government and the people of India.”

Pope tirelessly worked for peace on this planet and to establish an “international order based on equality and justice,” Kalam said.

In his message to the College of Cardinals at the Vatican, Kalam said news of the Pope's death was received with "deep shock and profound sorrow by the people of India who considered him a champion of world peace and harmony."

"His was an endearing voice of reason against all forms of intolerance, inhumanity and injustice. His ceaseless efforts to advocate the cause of human values will always be remembered as the beacon of hope against the daunting challenges of today's world," Kalam said.

“Pope had always championed the cause of the poor and was an apostle of peace,” said Vice–President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. “With his passing away, we have lost a prominent religious leader for whom the entire world was his home,” Shekhawat said.

“A People's Pope who led the Catholic Church through a period historic changes. He was an iconic figure for nearly three decades, in particular as a beacon of unflinching moral values. The Pope endeared himself specially to people of India by initiating the process of granting sainthood to Mother Teresa,” said Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

The Pope was a great reconciler to religion and a humanist, he said.

Pope John Paul II, who headed the Catholic church for more than a quarter of a century, loved India very much and prevailed upon the church to incorporate “favourable” influences of Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, the Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) general secretary Joseph Dias said.

Pope John Paul II, who died late on Saturday night, also gave India three newly appointed cardinals, who would now take part in the election of his successor, he said, adding that the pontiff’s most important contribution was that he “could truly implement the decisions of the ‘Second Vatican Council’ in letter and spirit.”

These decisions at times have been controversial but he maintained the required balance, he said, adding that the Pope also displayed a clear option for social justice, spoke in favour of women and life, in his missions and authored documents earning him the title of the most widely traveled pilgrim Pope.

“He also did not discriminate between Catholics and others and urged unity and sharing with those of other religions and even among the Christian denominations or Catholic rites, including Russian Orthodox Church,” Dias said.

The Mumbai Catholic Sabha president Dolphy D’souza said the Pope was the beacon of light and hope.

His special concern was evident when it came to poor and downtrodden in India and he took up issues close to India at the international platform, he said.

He particularly spoke of India as a country where the Christian faith was much stronger as compared to the west, D’souza said, adding that the Pope's human face was visible when he raised his voice for the poor and the marginalized in the sub–continent.