Sikh delegate from Birmingham meets Pope Leo XIV
The chairman of a Sikh charitable organisation has spoken of the importance of dialogue between people of different faiths, following a meeting with the new Pope.Bhai Sahib, Prof Mohinder Singh, of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ) in Birmingham, was among a Sikh delegation who attended an audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday."I was overjoyed, and of course I congratulated him on his inauguration," said Prof Mohinder Singh."I felt very happy."
The Pope met representatives from a range of non-Catholic Churches and other religions who had attended the Pope's inauguration Mass the previous day.It was the third audience with a Pope for Prof Mohinder Singh, who was the first Sikh in history to receive the pontifical order of knighthood for his service to interfaith relations.He said he believed the new Pope would continue the example set by his predecessor, Pope Francis, in being a symbol of hope and peace."There was much optimism [among Sikhs] in what the late Pope was doing and has done," he explained. "And we feel that this will continue with the new Pope – that was the feeling I was getting."
In his address to the delegates, Pope Leo praised the work made by his predecessor towards interreligious dialogue and spoke of a "common path", involving everyone "in a spirit of human fraternity".Prof Mohinder Singh said this was "very, very important"."As per our own scripture, our Sikh scripture, all humans are sparks of the divine, humanity being one global family," he said. "We need to have interfaith cooperation and collaboration – that is almost essential."He added that he thought Pope Leo would continue, as Pope Francis had done, to represent sincerity and simplicity."But he will also work on peace-building," he added. "His first speech was on peace."That, I feel, is important for him."
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