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Sikhs did meet
Pope John Paul II with kirpans
WSN Bureau
 WASHINGTON:
While
there has been no further progress on the issue of Sikh delegation
recusing itself from a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI because
members of the community were asked to wear kirpans during such a
meeting, it seems the precedent has been somewhat different. The
Pope's first papal visit to the US in April will include an
interfaith meeting in
Washington
with representatives of other faiths including Jewish, Islamic,
Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain communities.
Tarunjit Singh
Butalia of Columbus, one of the nation's leading spokesmen for the
Sikh faith, said he was among those invited to the April 17
gathering with Pope Benedict but the U.S. Secret Service has
forbidden him to wear a kirpan. Butalia has declined the offer of a
meeting saying wearing a kirpaan was a requirement of his faith, not
an option.
The Secret
Service representatives, while seeming to understand the issue, are
sticking to the line that the kirpan is by definition a weapon, and
thus cannot be allowed. The World Sikh Council- American Region has
said it is often that the Sikhs have been barred from high-level
meetings because of kirpans.
 There has been
precedent of Pope John Paul II meeting Sikh leaders who wore their
kirpans, and these were not just ceremonial 6 inches traditional
length swords often worn underneath or above the shirt but rather
three-foot blades. The photos appeared in the Chicago Tribune and a
lot of other papers.
Sikhs often
compare wearing of a kirpan to Christians wearing a cross or
crucifix and take great pride in the fact that there is not one
single incident in the world in which a kirpan was used for torturing
somebody or killing somebody.
Pope Benedict's
interfaith meeting, with the theme of "Religions Working for Peace,"
will be held April 17 at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in
Washington. More than 200 religious leaders have been invited.
Members of different faith groups will present the Pontiff with
symbolic gifts, including a Jewish menorah, a Muslim Qur'an, a
Buddhist bell, and a Hindu incense burner.
26
March 2008
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