Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Christian community on Christmas and offered wishes on Monday, news agency ANI reported. "My greetings to the people of the world and to the Christian community on the occasion of Christmas. It is pleasant for me that on such a special and sacred day, all of you have come to my residence," he stated.
PM Modi stated that he had a "old and close" relationship with the Christian community, recalling his meeting with Holy Pope Francis in October 2021 in Vatican City.
"I share a very old and close bond with the Christian community. While holding the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat, I used to frequently meet the Christian community and its leaders. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the Holy Pope. It was indeed a very memorable moment for me. To make the world a better place, we discussed issues like social harmony, global brotherhood, climate change and inclusive development," he stated.
The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of Christmas, saying that it is a time to recall Jesus Christ's principles.
"Christmas is the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; this is also an opportunity to remember the life messages and values of Jesus Christ. As a government, we are ensuring that the benefits of development reach everyone and no one is left untouched. Today, the benefits of the development taking place in the country are reaching the people of the Christian community, especially the poor and the deprived," he said.
He stated: "We see so many similar values in our life which unite us. For eg. The Holy Bible says that whatever God has given us, it should be used for the service of others. This is what 'Seva Parmo Dharma' is. Truth is given the most importance in the Holy Bible. It says that only Truth can show us the way to salvation. The coincidence is, that all religious texts focus on knowing the ultimate truth. This coordination will make the modern India of the 21st century reach new heights."
He emphasised that the country appreciates the Christian community's "great contributions" to the nation.
"On this auspicious occasion of the Christmas Day, I would like to state that Bharat proudly recognises the great contributions made by the Christian community in the country," he said.