New Delhi (Fides Service) - On his first visit to the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana Papal Nuncio to India said that the philosophy and principles which inspired Mahatma Gandhi were very close to Christianity. In recent years Gujarat state has been in the news with attacks launched by Hindu fundamentalists in 1998 on Christians and Christian institutions and schools and in 2002 against Muslims with more than 1,000 dead.
On a three day visit 15-17 June, the Nuncio was received with full honours by the local authorities led by the Chief Minister of Gujarat state Narendra Modi, a member of the nationalist Hindu Party Baratiya Janata Party. He paid a visit to Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram, in Ahmedabad, where he paid homage to the ‘Father of India’. He also went to the famous Akshardham Hindu Temple in Gandhinagar.
Archbishop Quintana visited the three Latin dioceses, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Baroda, and various Catholic missions and institutions carrying the concern and blessing of the Pope to the local Catholics. He celebrated Mass at the shrine of Our Lady of Carmel at Kadi.
On a visit to the Regional Seminary at Vadodara where he blessed the foundation stone for a new building, during his homily at Mass Archbishop Quintana told those present that “it is the task of every member of the Church to proclaim Jesus Christ. Our mission is to offer to all people the Word of God.” Addressing the seminarians he said: “However some young men are called to do this with a vocation to the priesthood. This vocation is a call to enter the mystery of Christ through profound knowledge of the person of Christ.
He said the new Seminary “will form future priests and other ministers of the Gospel to serve the Church in Gujarat. It will also serve to promote reciprocal understanding and unity among Christians, fruitful dialogue with followers of other religions and with people of no faith, and it will be involved in works of charity to help the needy”.
The seminary was opened by the Jesuit Fathers in 1978 as a Centre for Theology. In 1998 it became a regional Seminary open to seminarians from various parts of the country. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/6/2004 lines 32 words 387)