Monday, November 23, 2009

Archbishop Nichols visits Europe's first traditional Hindu temple

After wagging an admonishing finger to the incoming Traditionalist Anglicans that they may not "pick and choose", Archbishop Nichols chooses to go to Europe's first Hindu temple to receive a pagan blessing.

Archbishop Nichols with the Temple's spiritual leader Yogvivek Swami


The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has made an official visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Europe's first traditional Hindu temple in Neasden, north London.

The visit took place on Saturday, 21 November during Interfaith Week and on the birth anniversary of the worldwide spiritual leader of the Hindus who pray at the Mandir (Hindu Temple) at Neasden, His Holiness Pramukhswamiji Maharaj.

Archbishop Nichols was greeted by the Mandir's spiritual leader, Yogvivek Swami, ( Head Sadhu, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (UK & Europe)) and the Trustees of the Mandir. He was welcomed in traditional Hindu style - with a red vermillion mark applied to the forehead and the tying of a sacred thread on the wrist, symbolising friendship and goodwill.

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2 comments:

  1. About this:

    "Yogvivek Swami guided the Archbishop around the Mandir complex, including the sanctum sanctorum where the Archbishop offered flowers at the altar to the deities. He then moved to the deity of Shri Nilkanth Varni (Bhagwan Swaminarayan) where he joined Yogvivek Swami in praying for world peace and harmony."

    The text now reads: "Yogvivek Swami guided the Archbishop around the Mandir complex, including the sanctum sanctorum. He then moved to the deity of Shri Nilkanth Varni (Bhagwan Swaminarayan) where he joined Yogvivek Swami in praying for world peace and harmony."

    The words: "where the Archbishop offered flowers at the altar to the deities"

    have been cut out.

    For the unrevised text:

    http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=15205

    - quoted here:

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100017721/archbishop-vincent-nichols-offered-flowers-at-the-altar-of-hindu-deities/

    For the revised text:

    http://www.rcdow.org.uk/archbishop/default.asp?library_ref=35&content_ref=2554

    When the Catholic media can suppress an incident of this nature, it is not easy to trust they will be truthful. It is gravely wrong that the Archbishop should what he did - and it is further evidence of the ill-health & "disorientation" of the Church

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  2. what scandal, what ridiculous betrayal of the catholic teaching!
    poor guy don't know what else to do to be liked and feel good by others.
    there is no need for him to do that. these are the ones that betray the catholic church and its true teaching. laying flowers at hindu piety is the last thing a catholic preist is sepected to do

    ReplyDelete