India News | Vatican Stands for Religious, Communal Harmony: Papal Envoy

Eluru (AP), Mar 23 (PTI) The Vatican stands for religious and communal harmony, papal ambassador to India Leopoldo Girelli said on Thursday during a daylong visit to Eluru diocese in Andhra Pradesh.

An apostolic nuncio is the ambassador equivalent, who heads the nunciature or the papal diplomatic mission. Girelli is the nuncio of the apostolic nunciature for both India and Nepal.

Also Read | Amritpal Singh's Associates Shifted Out of Punjab After Intelligence Report on Possible Jail Break.

The papal envoy, who is in the state to participate in the annual festival at the shrine of Mother Mary at Nirmalgiri Matha Punyakeshtram in Gowripatnam near Eluru, met with a cross section of people, including the mayor of the town.

He met with the representatives of political parties, government officials, religious leaders from different faiths, businessmen and representatives from a string of Christian denominations among others.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Dance Video Inside Labour Room Lands Nurse in Trouble in Budaun.

Addressing a large gathering, the ambassador highlighted that the duty of government and people with goodwill is to serve the poor, especially offering education, health and creating job opportunities.

Exhorting that unity is the need of the hour, the top diplomat called on people to forget the differences and shun all the divisions existing in humanity.

Later, Girelli visited a dental college and advised that educational institutions should uphold professionalism and quality while professionals serving the sick should be compassionate.

Girelli was accompanied by Eluru bishop reverend Jaya Rao Polimera, vicar general Bala and other Catholic clergy.

The Vatican operates one of India's oldest diplomatic representations with almost 130 years of association while the Catholic Church traces its Indian origin to the time of Apostle St Thomas.

The Indian Catholic Church is a communion of three individual churches: Latin, Syro – Malabar and Syro – Malankara.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)