Following are the world leaders and religious heads that responded favorably to the appeal of Shri Nathji in 1984 to celebrate the world prayer day.
There was the letter
from Queen Elizabeth of England appreciating the World Prayer Day and sending
her good wishes, with apologies for not being able to attend.
Mahamateshwari and
Shri Nathji had always had a special love for the Queen. Shri Nathji is
overjoyed at her letter and sends her His Blessings.
These blessings were
to see her through many a difficult phase in life later, unknown even to her.
Shri Nathji’s blessings always remained around humanity as invisible as the
air.
Elizabeth II
(Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is the constitutional monarch of
16 sovereign states (known as the Commonwealth realms) and their territories
and dependencies, as well as head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations. On
her accession on 6 February 1952, Queen Elizabeth became Head of the
Commonwealth .
Major events in the
Queen's reign have included the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Falklands
War, wars with Iraq and the War in Afghanistan. There have been times of
personal sorrow for her which include the death of her father at 56, the
assassination of Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten, the breakdown of her
children's marriages in 1992 the death in 1997 of her daughter-in-law, Diana,
Princess of Wales, and the deaths of her mother and sister in 2002. The support
for the monarchy and her personal popularity remain high in England.
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Amongst the
Christians, surprisingly enough, the Seventh Day Adventists were the first to
respond.
HH Priya Nath had,
during his childhood, in the years 1954-1955, studied at Vincent Hill School,
which was a Seventh Day Adventist School at Mussoorie. Shri Nathji loved the
Seventh Day Adventists for their politeness, humility and their being
vegetarians. It was a school in which HH Pran Nath and HH Priya Nath had passed
many moments.
The head of the
Seventh Day Adventist Organization in America, Rev. Neal O Wilson, was greatly
touched by Shri Nathji’s appeal for the World Prayer Day:
“Pray wherever you
are in whatever way you like”
It was the most
historic appeal in the world and showed that all prayers for peace reached the
same God–that there was One God in the Universe who heard the prayers of all.
Shri Nathji used to
say:
“He, who is beyond
all names, can be called by any name! And He will respond.”
Neal C. Wilson (seen
in this photo with his wife) served as General Conference president of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1979 through to 1990. Wilson was head of the
North American Division when elected on January 3, 1979, to take the place of
the ailing former General Conference president Robert Pierson, who had resigned
for reasons of health.
He was succeeded as
General Conference President on July 6, 1990, by Robert Folkenberg who was then
the President of the Carolina Conference. Wilson died December 14, 2010. He was
90 years old. Wilson attended schools in Zambia, Malawi, South Africa and India
before earning a bachelor's degree from the church-owned Pacific Union College
in Angwin, California in 1942. In 1944, he earned a degree from the Adventist
Theological Seminary, then located in Takoma Park, Maryland. Wilson served the
church in Egypt from 1944 to 1958, first as a pastor and evangelist and later
as the regional administrative president. He then worked as an administrator in
California and Maryland before his appointment as president of the church's
North American Division in 1966. He served in the post until his appointment as
president of the denomination.
As president, Wilson
furthered the church's mission in the former Soviet Union. He also oversaw the
1980 adoption of the church's Fundamental Beliefs, the creation of Adventist
World Radio. During his tenure, Wilson visited 170 countries where the church
operated institutions of healthcare, education, evangelism and publishing. He
was known to remember thousands of people, even after brief meetings.
The President of the
Federal Republic of Germany has also sent his best wishes and congratulations
to Shri Nathji.
Richard Karl Freiherr
von Weizsäcker was the President of the Federal Republic of Germany who in 1984
has sent the message to Shri Nathji. He was indeed a person who sincerely believed
in world peace as, during his period in office German unity was accomplished
through the incorporation of the territory of the former German Democratic
Republic into the Federal Republic of Germany, and he thus became the first
president of the reunited Germany.
He is a German
politician and served as Governing Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and
as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1984 to 1994. When he was
17 years old, he moved to Britain, where he studied philosophy and history at
Balliol College, Oxford. He subsequently also studied at the University of
Grenoble in France. After the outbreak of World War II, he served in the German
army, ultimately as a Captain in the Reserves. He was wounded in East Prussia
in 1945 and transported home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of
history in Göttingen and eventually studied law. In 1947, when Ernst von
Weizsäcker was a defendant in the Ministries Trial for his role in the
deportation of Jews from occupied France, Richard von Weizsäcker served as his
father's assistant defence counsel. Weizsäcker joined the CDU in 1954, becoming
a member of the Bundestag (German Parliament) in 1969, serving until 1981. In
1974 he has been the Presidential candidate of his party for the first time. In
1981 he was elected vice president of the Bundestag (1979–1981) and then
Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin (1981–1984). He was
elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention) in
1984, succeeding Karl Carstens.
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Queen Beatrix of the
Netherlands warmly acknowledges Shri Nathji’s appeal for a World Prayer Day. It
is apparent that only those persons are acknowledging receiving the Message of
Shri Nathji, who will be joining in the prayers from their own countries.
Beatrix (Beatrix
Wilhelmina Armgard, born 31 January 1938) is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands. She attended public
primary and secondary schools in Canada, during World War II, and in the
Netherlands. In 1961, she received her law degree from Leiden University. In
1966, Beatrix married Claus van Amsberg, with whom she had three children:
Prince Willem-Alexander (1967), Prince Friso (1968) and Prince Constantijn
(1969). Her husband Prince Claus died in 2002. Queen Beatrix is the oldest
reigning monarch of the Netherlands. On 30 April 1980, Beatrix became Queen of
the Netherlands when her mother abdicated. In domestic matters, she has little
political say; however, in international relations, the queen has much more
latitude.
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The President of
Ireland, Mr.Patrick Hillary, acknowledges Shri Nathji’s letter and appeal for
the World Prayer Day. Shri Nathji had always had a special affection for the
people of Ireland when he had been living in London over the years 1963-1967.
It was surprising
that, on the one hand there was an acknowledgement from the Queen of England
and on the other an acknowledgement from the President of Ireland. It appeared
that no matter what the differences that existed between world leaders they
were unanimous in lauding Shri Nathji’s appeal for the World Prayer Day.
Patrick John Hillery
(2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish politician and the sixth President of
Ireland from 1976 until 1990. First elected at the 1951 general election as a
Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for Clare, he remained in Dáil Éireann until
1973. During this time he served as
Minister for Education (1959–1965), Minister for Industry and Commerce
(1965–1966), Minister for Labour (1966–1969) and Minister for Foreign Affairs
(1969–1973). In 1973 he was appointed Ireland's first European Commissioner,
serving until 1976 when he became President. He served two terms in the
presidency, and, though widely seen as a somewhat lacklustre President, he was
credited with bringing stability and dignity to the office, and he won
widespread admiration when it emerged that he had withstood political pressure
from his own Fianna Fáil party during a political crisis in 1982.
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There was a letter
from the Governor General of Hong Kong expressing his thanks and gratitude for
the message about the World Prayer Day
Sir Edward Youde was
the Governor General of Hong Kong who had sends this message to Shri Nathji. Sir Edward Youde (19 June 1924 – 5 December 1986
in Beijing, China) was a British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. He
served as Governor of Hong Kong between 20 May 1982 and 5 December 1986. Youde
is mainly remembered as the Governor during whose time in office the Joint
Declaration on the future of Hong Kong was signed in Peking in 1984. This,
amongst other things, made it clear that the British would leave Hong Kong in
1997 after 156 years of colonial rule.
Youde, Hong Kong's
only Welsh Governor, was widely liked for his pleasant, kindly demeanour and
greatly admired for his formidable erudition. He was widely respected by the
Chinese population of Hong Kong. During a visit to Beijing, Sir Edward suffered
a fatal heart attack in the British Embassy in the early morning of 5 December
1986, while he was sleeping. He was the only Governor of Hong Kong to have died
in office and many thousands lined the streets for his "state"
funeral, which was conducted with the highest military honours in 1986.
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The Archbishop of
Canterbury, who is an important spiritual leader of millions of Christians,
responds with a very polite letter, thanking Shri Nathji and stating
categorically that he will mark June 24, 1984 as a day of Prayer for World
Peace at Lambeth Palace Chapel in London, to observe the World Prayer Day.
Reverend Robert
Runcie was the Archbishop of Canterbury, who in 1984 had send the letter to
Shri Nathji. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal
leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican
Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. It’s a line of succession
which goes back more than 1400 years to St. Augustine of Canterbury,
Robert Alexander
Kennedy Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was Archbishop of Canterbury
from 1980 to 1991. He earned a commission in the Scots Guards during World War
II, serving as a tank commander and earning the Military Cross for two feats of
bravery in March 1945. Runcie studied for ordination at Westcott House,
Cambridge, where he received a diploma, rather than a second bachelor's degree
in theology. He was ordained in the Diocese of Newcastle in 1950 to serve as a
curate in the parish of All Saints in the wealthy Newcastle upon Tyne suburb of
Gosforth, then a rapidly growing suburban area. Rather than the conventional
minimum three year curacy, after only two years Runcie was invited to return to
Westcott House as Chaplain and, later, Vice-Principal. In 1960, he returned to the world of the
theological college, becoming Principal of Cuddesdon, near Oxford, where he
spent ten years and transformed what had been a rather monastic and
traditionally Anglo-Catholic institution into a stronghold of the liberal
catholic wing of the Church of England. In this period, his name became more
and more strongly spoken of as a future bishop, and speculation was confirmed
when he was appointed Bishop of St Albans in 1970. Runcie was selected as
Archbishop of Canterbury in 1979. During his time as Archbishop of Canterbury
he witnessed a breaking down of traditionally convivial relations between the
Conservative Party and the Church of England, In 1981, Runcie officiated at the
marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer,
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The Dalai Lama too is
overwhelmed with the concept of the World Prayer Day and sends his good wishes
and prayers for the success of the World Prayer Day.
The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin
Gyatso, born as Lhamo Dondrub, 6 July
1935) who is the current Dalai Lama, had send his rely to Shri Nathji. He is
the longest lived incumbent of the Dalai Lama lineage. Dalai Lamas are the head
monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside
and outside Tibet.
The Dalai Lama was
born in Taktser, Qinghai and was selected as the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama
two years later, although he was only formally recognized as the 14th Dalai
Lama on 17 November 1950, at the age of 15
During the 1959
Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama, who regards the uprising as an expression of
widespread discontent, fled to India, where he denounced the People's Republic
and established a Tibetan government in exile. He has since traveled the world,
advocating for the welfare of Tibetans, teaching Tibetan Buddhism and talking
about the importance of compassion as the source of a happy life. Around the
world, institutions face pressure from China not to accept him.
The Dalai Lama had
come to Delhi for the World Prayer Day but had suddenly fallen ill at the last
moment and could not come himself. He had therefore sent Lama Duboom Tulku as
his representative instead.
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There is a beautiful
message from Dr. Siaka Stevens, the President of Sierra Leone, that beautifully
defines the World Prayer Day:
“It cuts through
barriers of race, religion and nationally. Sierra Leone will do everything
possible to propagate this mission of world peace.”
Siaka Probyn Stevens
(24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from
1967–1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971–1985. Stevens and his
All People's Congress (APC) party won the closely contested 1967 Sierra Leone
general elections over the incumbent Prime Minister Sir Albert Margai of the
Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). In April 1971, Stevens made Sierra Leone a
republic and he became the first President of Sierra Leone a day after the
constitution had been ratified by the Parliament of Sierra Leone.
Stevens served as
Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from 1 July] 1980 to 24
June 1981, and engineered the creation of the Mano River Union, a three country
economic federation of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Stevens retired from
office at the end of his term on 28 November 1985. After pressuring all other
potential successors to step aside, he chose Major-General Joseph Saidu Momoh,
the commander of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces as his successor.
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A two hundred word
cable lauding the World Prayer Day comes from the President of Columbia, Mr.
Belisaria Betancur! It is in Spanish. HH Priya Nath has to find a Spanish
translator for it.
Belisario Betancur
Cuartas (born on February 4, 1923) is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of
the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.
He began his
political career as a Deputy to the Assembly of the Colombian province of
Antioquia, where he served form 1945 to 1947. He also served as a
Representative to the National Chamber for the departments of Cundinamarca and
Antioquia, and was a member of the National Constituent Assembly from 1953 to
1957. Betancur was the Minister of Labor in 1963 and Ambassador of Colombia to
Spain from 1975 to 1977. He ran as the Conservative presidential candidate in
1978, but was defeated by Julio César Turbay Ayala.
In 1982 he was
elected President of the Republic and served until 1986. As President, he began
the Grupo de Contadora por la Paz en Centroamérica, began democratic reforms by
incorporating the principal armed movements into civil life, promoted low-cost housing
and open universities, began a literacy campaign and endorsed tax amnesty. During
his term, the government approved the mayoral election law, municipal and
departmental reforms, judicial and congressional reforms, the television
statute, the federal holiday law, and the new Código Contencioso
Administrativo. His administration began the exploration and export of coal in
the Cerrejón North region and the broadcast of the regional television channels
Teleantioquia and Telecaribe.
Betancur is also
noted for his attempts to bring peace to his country. During his administration
he initiated peace talks with several Colombian guerrilla groups. The
controversial Palace of Justice siege occurred in late 1985, less than a year
before the end of his presidential term
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The President of
Cyprus, Mr. Spyros Kypriano, sends a beautiful letter appreciating and lauding
the World Prayer Day.
Spyros Kyprianou, was
the president of Cyprus who refused to compromise with the island's breakaway
Turkish minority. Elected president in 1977 after the death of his mentor,
Archbishop Makarios, under whom Cyprus had achieved independence from Britain,
Mr. Kyprianou was faced with the stubborn problem caused by Turkey's invasion
in 1974 and the formation of a Turkish enclave in the north, which covered
about one-third of the island.
In an effort to end
the island's partition, President Kyprianou agreed on an outline reunification
plan in 1979 with Rauf Denktash, the Turkish leader. But the agreement fell
apart within a week, with both sides disputing the details. President Kyprianou
and Mr. Denktash met again at the United Nations in 1985 for talks with
Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, but those talks also broke down. He died in Nicosia in 2002 at the age of 69 years.
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There is also Indira
Gandhi’s letter wishing all success to the World Prayer Day, and apologising
for not being able to attend.
Indira Priyadarshini
Gandhi (19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) served as the third Prime Minister
of India for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–84).
Gandhi was the second female head of government in the world after Sirimavo Bandaranaike
of Sri Lanka and she remains as the world's second longest serving female Prime
Minister as of 2012. She was the first woman to become prime minister of India.
Gandhi was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of
independent India. She adhered to the quasi-socialist policies of industrial
development that had been begun by her father. Gandhi established closer
relations with the Soviet Union, depending on that nation for support in
India’s long-standing conflict with Pakistan. She was also the only Indian
Prime Minister to have declared state of emergency in order to 'rule by decree'
and the only Indian Prime Minister to have been imprisoned after holding that
office. She was assassinated by her bodyguards in retaliation for ordering
Operation Blue Star.
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On the 23rd of June
1984, itself, Shri Nathji receives a letter from King Husein of Jordan. He
writes to Shri Nathji expressing his appreciation of the World Prayer Day and
agreeing that prayer is the only avenue left to mankind when all other efforts
have failed. It is a very long three-page letter, which comes form his heart.
It is a befitting prelude to the World Prayer Day,
Hussein bin Talal (14
November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from the abdication of his
father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein's rule extended through
the Cold War and four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict. He recognized Israel in
1994.
Hussein claimed to be
a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his belonging to the
ancient Hashemite family. King Hussein sought to understand Israel's position
and preferred dialogue to the futility of war. He was genuinely interested in
Peace and despite wide spread opposition by other Arab states and by people of
his own country he move forward the peace process with Isreal and ceased all
hostilities.
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Dr. Kenneth Guanda, the
President of Zambia, also sends a message to Shri Nathiji which was read out by
the Zambian High Commissioner, Mr. A.M.Phiri at the World Prayer Day function.
Kenneth David Kaunda
(born April 28, 1924), also known as KK, served as the first President of
Zambia, from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for
independence from European rule. Dissatisfied with Nkumbula's leadership of the
African National Congress, he broke away and founded the Zambian African
National Congress, later becoming the head of the United National Independence
Party. He was the first President of the independent Zambia. From 1968, all
political parties except UNIP were banned. At the same time, Kaunda oversaw the
acquisition of majority stakes in key foreign-owned companies. The oil crisis
of 1973 and a slump in export revenues put Zambia in a state of economic
crisis. Kaunda's logistical support for black nationalist movements in
Rhodesia, South West Africa, Angola and Mozambique, aggravated economic
problems. His vocal backing of these movements further burdened Zambia, since
the white regimes were the country's main trading partners. But the President
of Zambia Kaunda was able to pull thorough the crisis. Multi-party elections
took place in 1991, in which Frederick Chiluba, the leader of the Movement for
Multiple Democracy, ousted Kaunda.
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