In the face of unrelenting pressure from saner groups, the Centre has decided to allow the envoy to the Vatican .K.P.Balakrishnan to attend the Pope’s all-religion meet in Delhi on November 7.The Pope is facing strong protests and agitational programmes from rabid Hindu organisations which have said that he should apologise to the Hindu community for the atrocities committed by Christians during the Portuguese regime and that he would not be allowed to set foot on Indian soil unless he agrees to do so. Obviously, the Sangh Parivar is behind all this and the Pope cannot be expected to say sorry for crimes which have not been proved to be those perpetrated in the name of a religion but the rabid Hindu propagandaists have undertaken a yatra from Goa to Delhi to coincide with the Pope’s arrival so as to make India a symbol of all that is mockery in the face of tolerant visage.

A foreign ministry spokesman has said the Prime Minister during his talks with the Pope may or may not raise the issue of atrocities on Christians as also the question of conversions in the country which has apparently been a sore point with the Hindu fundamentalists. But the spokesman clarified that there would be no compromise on the security aspect and that the Pope would be given the status of a foreign dignitary.