- Title: INDIA: TWO MILLION INDIANS WELCOME POPE PAUL IN BOMBAY
- Date: 3rd December 1964
- Summary: 1. LV BOMBAY AIRPORT 2 SHOTS 0.08 2. SV PLANE ARRIVES 0.12 3. SV MR. SHASTRI WALKS FORWARD 0.18 4. LV POPE APPEARS AT PLANE DOORWAY IS GREETED BY CARDINALS 0.34 5. VU NUNS LOOKING 0.37 6. SV POPE IS GREETED BY DR. HUSSAIN 0.47 7. CU INDIAN WOMEN 0.49 8. LV SHASTRI GREETS POPE 1.00 9. SV POPE IS GARLANDED 1.07
- Embargoed: 18th December 1964 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BOMBAY, INDIA
- Country: India
- Reuters ID: LVA93EQ756FYEB2I88R0VHDMHQSK
- Story Text: SWARMING, ENTHUSIASTIC CROWDS OF ABOUT TWO MILLION, FAR LARGER THAN BOMBAY EVER EXPECTED, GREETED POPE PAUL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON (WEDNESDAY) WHEN HE BEGAN HIS HISTORIC VISIT TO INDIA.
AS HE EMERGED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AT SANTA CRUZ AIRPORT THE POPE RAISED BOTH HANDS IN BLESSING ON THE CHEERING CROWD. HE JOINED HANDS IN THE TRADITIONAL INDIAN WAY AND GAVE THE INDIAN GREETING "NAMASTE" TO HIS WELCOMERS. HE WAS GARLANDED WITH RED AND WHITE ROSES.
THE POPE WAS WELCOMED AT THE AIRPORT BY VICE PRESIDENT ZAKIR HUSSAIN, A MOSLEM, AND THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI, A HINDU. THE PONTIFF'S THREE-DAY PILGRIMAGE TO BOMBAY IS SEEN AS SHOWING HIS DESIRE TO STRESS THAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IS UNIVERSAL NOT EUROPEAN.
POPE PAUL SAID SLOWLY N EXCELLENT ENGLISH: "WE COME AS A PILGRIM -- A PILGRIM OF PEACE, OF JOY, OF SERENITY AND LOVE." HE HAD FLOWN 400 MILES (6,500 KILOMETRES) TO ATTEND THE 38TH INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS IN THE CITY.
POLICE PROTECTED THE POPE AND FOUGHT TO CLEAR A WAY FOR HIS MOTORCADE THROUGH THE CROWDS AT THE AIRPORT. VICE PRESIDENT HUSSAIN AND CARDINAL GRACIAS, ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY, ACCOMPANIED HIM IN THE CAR. CROWDS MASSED ALONG THE ROUTE AS THEY DROVE 16 MILES THROUGH BOMBAY STREETS TO A VAST SPACE IN THE CITY CENTRE, TURNED INTO AN OPEN AIR CATHEDRAL FOR THE OCCASION.
THERE, HE WALKED UP THE RED CARPET TO THE SOARING MAIN ALTAR WHILE THE GREAT CONGREGATION SANG "GOD BLESS THE POPE". HE IMPARTED HIS SPECIAL APOSTOLIC BLESSING TO THE PILGRIMS WHO HAVE COME, LIKE HIMSELF, TO THE CONGRESS.
(THE POPE TODAY RECEIVED CATHOLIC AND NON-CHRISTIAN GROUPS IN BOMBAY AND TOLD THEM:"WE MUST COME TOGETHER WITH OUR HEARTS, IN MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING, ESTEEM AND LOVE." THE GOVERNOR OF THE PUNJAB, HAFIZ MOHAMMED IBRAHIM, PRESENTED HIM WITH THE KORAN, THE MOSLEM HOLY BOOK. A GROUP OF CATHOLICS FROM NAGALAND GAVE HIM A NAGA SPEAR.)
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None