RE: Digest Number 2090

[Guest guest]

A similar message would have sufficed for the pope as well, correct? Why a

3-day NATIONAL MOURNING for him alone? The pope was not even Indian and

shamelessly called for India to be converted in New Delhi on Diwali day in

1999. See the article below on the national mourning.

 

http://news.indiainfo.com/columns/guru/041305secular-pseudo.html

 

92 per cent 'secular', 98 per cent pseudo

by S Gurumurthy

 

It is interesting, also instructive. It is about a chat on the Net in an

Irish Website " Politics.ie " hosted by " The Irish Politics Forum " , a

politically conscious group. The subject of the chat was: 'No national day

of mourning' for the Pope in Ireland. Catholics make up 92 percent of the

Irish population.

 

For the Irish, Catholicism is not just religion, it is a cult. Yet, the

Irish Prime Minister refused to declare state mourning for the Pope. This

triggered the chat.

 

" My daughter and I are sitting here just having heard Egypt and India are

having a day of national mourning for the death of Pope John Paul, but

Ireland is not having one. What a country we have turned into.... We will

not give in to people's wishes. " This is how an Irish mourner started on the

Net.

 

The time then was 9.44 AM on April 3. Within minutes, at 9.48 AM, another

intervened. " What makes you think 'the people' want a national day of

mourning? " he asked. " Would I get a day off? Should we have a national day

of mourning when the Dalai Lama and Ayatollah die as well? " he questioned.

 

A third one joined the chat at 9.52 AM. " I am not a Catholic, " he said and

continued: " If we can get a day off I am all for it. If we don't, I do not

see the point of declaring national days of mourning for international

figures. "

 

For him, the Pope was like any 'international figure'. Instantly, a fourth

one came on the chat and said, " We have to be mindful not to hurt

anti-Catholic people's feelings. " That is, state mourning would hurt the 4

percent Protestants.

 

" Why don't the people who wish to mourn the Pope just take a day off? Isn't

that freedom to worship? " asked one chatter. Another said, " Surely national

mourning for the leader of the Church would mean the same for others - Queen

Elizabeth, leader of her Church for 53 years. Ian Paisley, leader of his

Church for 29 years.

 

Also Dalai Lama. I am a Catholic who practices once a week. My way of

remembering is to sign the condolence book in Pro-Cathedral. Death of Pope

will not change the world as the deaths of 9/11 did. " Thus went on the

debate in a 92 percent Catholic nation.

 

Imagine such a chat in India whose 98 percent population is non-Christian.

The seculars would have set upon the chatters.

 

Equally instructive is the story in another Catholic nation, France. Of the

French, 90 percent are Roman Catholics. Yes, Roman Catholics whose head is

the Pope. Minorities are just 4 percent - 2 percent Protestants, 1 percent

Jewish, 1 percent Muslims - and the unaffiliated 6 percent.

 

French President Jacques Chirac ordered the national flag to fly at

half-mast for the Pope.

 

Secular politicians of France tore him apart for making the national symbol

fly at half-mast. They also questioned Chirac and other officials who are

planning to go for Pope's funeral.

 

Not just Ireland and France. The Christian US did not, nor did other

European Christian nations declare state mourning. Not England, not Germany,

not Holland, nor the Scandinavian countries. Not Russia. Not Greece. Not

even the most Catholic nation, Spain.

 

Of about a hundred Christian nations hardly a dozen, most of them

insignificant, declared state mourning. Except Italy and Canada no

significant ones did. Egypt was the only Muslim nation to mourn officially.

China has banned Chinese Christians from recognising the Pope.

 

But look at home here, India, whose 98 percent population is non-Christian.

'Secular' India followed, of all nations, the un-secular, all-Christian

Italy.

 

Italy was the first to declare three-day mourning. India followed promptly,

but soon got into trouble. After declaring state mourning for three days,

officials quickly remembered that the Uzbek Prime Minister was to start his

visit to India from April 6, the third day of mourning.

 

But with mourning announced already, frantic messages were sent to Uzbek

Government to defer the visit by two days. But their schedule was too tight

to oblige us. So a compromise was struck within the Government.

 

The three-day mourning was divided into two parts: first two days of

mourning, then an interval of three days - so the Uzbek Prime Minister's

programmes are accommodated in the interval - and the third day of mourning

deferred to the funeral day! By following the Italian three-day mourning

norm, our Government got into a mess and barely escaped.

 

But, why should the 'secular' Indian state mourn for the Roman Catholic

Pope? Obviously, we cannot declare state mourning for a religious leader. If

we did, that would open a Pandora's box. A religious country with hundreds

of religious leaders would fly its flag at half mast most of the time should

the state have a policy of declaring state mourning for all religious

leaders.

 

So, at least on record, the mourning is not for the head of the Catholics

but for the head of Vatican state. But this interpretation makes things

worse. If the Pope were the head of the Vatican state, how come three

Cardinals from India are flying to vote at Vatican to elect the new head of

the Vatican state?

 

Who are they - citizens of India or citizens of Vatican?

[Guest guest]

RE: " A similar message would have sufficed for the pope as well,

correct? Why a 3-day NATIONAL MOURNING for him alone? "

 

Namaste,

 

I doubt very much, if the death of John Paul II's

predecessor in 1978, was honoured by a period of mourning, in Bharat

Mata.

 

The simple point, that I'm trying to make, is that John Paul II

was more than just a 'head of state', or the leader of the Roman

Catholic Church. He was a 'world statesman' of the greatest magnitude,

whose skillful efforts resulted in the ultimate toppling of the Soviet

Union. This may perhaps be better appreciated by countries, that have

felt the yoke of foreign domination, like the Republic of India,

Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. etc.