VATICAN CITY, JUNE 22 (ZENIT.org)

    Rome is in mourning after receiving the news of the unexpected death of Archbishop Alan de Lastic of New Delhi, president of the Indian Episcopal Conference.

    The Archbishop died in an automobile accident in Poland, on the highway from Krakow to Warsaw, where he was on a 5-day visit. According to a spokesman of the Indian Episcopate, the car in which the Archbishop was traveling crashed while trying to avoid a motorcyclist.

    Archbishop Lastic, 71, was ordained a priest in 1958. John Paul II appointed him Bishop in 1979. He dedicated himself with firmness and determination to the defense of the Christian community in India, which has recently been the victim of incidents of intolerance by Hindu extremist groups. De Lastic led the New Delhi Archdiocese for the past 10 years. The success of preparations for John Paul II's visit to New Delhi in November of 1999 was due, to a large extent, to the Archbishop. His body will be transported to India for cremation, according to the Christian rites of the country.

    Earlier this month, New Delhi's Archbishop spoke out against the murder of a Catholic priest and the placing of bombs in several Christian churches. At times, he criticized the government, accusing it of "silence" in its lack of support for religious freedom, which he described "as the greatest challenge our community has to face in its 53 years of independence."

    Missionary Carlo Torriani, of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, who has lived in India for more than 30 years, said over Vatican Radio that the Archbishop's death "is really a great loss, because he was the most courageous spokesman of a Christian community that has suffered much over the 2 years of the present government in India. He always raised his voice whenever any kind of abuse was committed. In an interview last week with the newspaper 'The Times of India,' Archbishop de Lastic defended the constitutional principle of freedom of religion, the right to propagate one's religion and, consequently, the freedom to convert. He was the voice defending this community. Everyone referred to his voice. He was convinced that the only possibility for his people was in dialogue, in coexistence in a multi-religious society, in which all religions should have their place."

    According to Fr. Torriani, the great legacy left by this Archbishop is "unity, as Christians have never felt as united as they do now and he was the spokesman of this unity." ZE00062122

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