Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), at the CBCI Centre premises in New Delhi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (December 23, 2024) condemned the attempts inciting violence in society stating that it is disheartening when there are attempts to spread disharmony and violence which causes disruption in society.
“Just a few days ago, the world saw what happened at the Christmas market in Germany. The teaching of Jesus Christ celebrates love, harmony, and brotherhood,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a Christmas celebration hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi.
India must come together to fight such challenges, he pointed out.
This is the first time that the Prime Minister has attended such a programme at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in India and in his address to the gathering, he highlighted the need to work in a united manner for national interest.
He further emphasised the need to keep the larger human interest in mind and not just national interest stating that India demonstrated this spirit during the COVID pandemic.
“India prioritises both national interest and human interest in its foreign policy. India even moved beyond its capabilities to help poor countries during the COVID pandemic and provided medicines to over 150 nations,” he said.
Today, India is registering progress and has become the fifth largest economy. “Also, nearly 25 crore people have defeated poverty in India in the last decade,” the PM said while congratulating the youth from the Christian community for their contribution towards various ongoing national initiatives to make the country ‘Viksit Bharat’.
“Our collective goal should be to work as a cohesive force to achieve this dream,” said the PM.
Citing a quote from the Bible about “carrying the burden of others”, Mr. Modi said the Bible gives hope as a source of strength and peace.
“Our institutions and organisations work with this motto. Jesus Christ showed the world the path of compassion and selfless service and today the country is moving ahead with the common goal of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas’. We have made sensitivity one of the parameters of work,” said the PM.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the evacuation of Indians stranded in war-torn nations, saying that no matter where they are or what crisis they face, today’s India sees it as its duty to bring its citizens to safety.
“We brought back our nurses who got stuck in the Gulf countries. It was a very satisfactory moment for me when we safely brought Father Alexis Prem Kumar from war-torn Afghanistan, a decade back. For us, all these missions are not mere diplomatic missions but an emotional commitment to bring back family members,” he said.
The PM also expressed pride on Father George Koovakad’s elevation as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. “It is a moment of pride that His Holiness Pope Francis has made His Eminence George Koovakad a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church,” he said, adding that he has invited Pope Francis to visit India.
At the event, Mr. Modi interacted with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops and prominent lay leaders of the Church.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) was established in 1944 and works for facilitating discussion and study of issues affecting the Church and adopting a common policy and action for matters affecting the Church’s interests in India.
Published – December 23, 2024 10:51 pm IST