Source: The Hindu

Wire Service: PTI

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200504082029.htm

On April 8, 2005 the Press Trust of India reported, "Religious leaders from all communities today came together under one banner in the national capital to offer prayers for the late Pope John Paul II, who they said was the greatest proponent of communal harmony. While maulvis chanted verses from the holy Quran, a Hindu priest recited the Gayatri mantra, joined by psalms from the Bible and rythmic verses from the Gurbani at a Buddhist temple in Central Delhi. 'I had met the Pope during his last visit to India,' recalled Hathyogi Mahant Kailash Nath of the Hathyogi Sarva Dharm Vishwa Shanti Mission, who quoted Vedic hymns. 'He kissed my hand and I was moved by his simplicity. He epitomised communal tolerance and harmony, which is why we decided to unitedly pray for his soul,' he said. The head of the Mahabodhi Society, Gyana Ratna, noted that the Pope was loved the world over on account of his religious tolerance."