Pope firmly condemns violence in Orissa

Agence France-Presse

Wednesday, August 27, 2008, (Vatican City)

Pope “firmly condemns” violence in Orissa

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday "firmly condemned" the violence in Orissa and called upon Indian religious and civil authorities "to work together to restore peaceful co-existence and harmony between the different religious communities."

"I learnt with great sorrow the information concerning the violence against the Christian community in Orissa which broke out after the reprehensible assassination of the Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati," he said.

"Until now several people have been killed and many others wounded," he said. "Several places of worship belonging to the church and private properties have been destroyed."

"While firmly condemning the attacks on human lives, whose sacred character must be respected by all, I extend my spiritual comfort and solidarity to the monks and nuns who have been put through such a difficult test," he said.

Dear Pope, Please understand that Jesus is not the only saviour. Hindus have been saving themselves through their own saviours long before Jesus was born and would continue to have no dearth of saviours without any help from Jesus. All Christian conversion attempts must be to convert paid members of organized religions like Christianity into spiritual beings - akin to what Jesus actually was. Not into Pope-clones seeking to increase the organization's membership.