Delhi Archbishop's letter not being looked at for what it is: Fr. Barret

Spokesperson of Archdiocese of Bombay says church prays before every general election

Father Nigel Barrett

On Monday, a letter sent out by the Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto to various parish priests called for a year-long prayer campaign to save the nation from a 'turbulent political atmosphere.' While the letter evoked strong reactions from leaders in the current government, the Bombay Archdiocese has sided with its counterpart in the national capital.

"I think people have misread the statement," Fr. Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bombay told mid-day, "The turbulent atmosphere of the country does not refer to the government. People are reading into this letter and drawing their own conclusions from it - we need to look at the letter for what it is." He also pointed out that the 'praying' being referred to is a normal practice, wherein they pray for elected leaders every Sunday in 'Prayers of the Faithful'. "Before every general election, we pray for a safe and free election; one that is free from violence," he said.

Barrett said misconstruing Couto's letter could be nothing more than a 'diversion.' "I can't speak for anyone else but I think this is a nice way to divert the people's attention from more important issues, like the diesel and petrol price hike." He added that the Archdiocese of Bombay does not currently have a stance on the so-called 'turbulent political atmosphere' as it is 'premature' to do so now, "...I do not have any data to make a statement one way or another."

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