The Day I Met The Pope

Guest Blogged by J. Singh-Sohal

Meeting the Head of the Roman Catholic Church is a once in a life time opportunity, one I fulfilled during the Holy Father’s recent State visit to the UK. I was privileged to be a part of a small gathering that represented all the major world faiths.

It was a special occasion particularly coming so soon after the launch of my recent film Sikhs@War highlighting the role Sikhs Soldiers played for Great Britain during the Great War. I was invited to say a few words, and below is the speech I gave, one which sums up perfectly how I view my Sikh faith and its place in British society.

Meeting Of Religious Leaders and People of Faith with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, 17 September 2010

Your Grace. My Lords, ladies and gentleman.

It’s a great pleasure to be here today. To represent the Sikh community at this auspicious occasion is a humbling experience. To be surrounded by the saintly, the religious and the scholarly is a blessing.

I was asked to speak about how being a Sikh influences my daily life. You can see for yourself the greatest way my faith manifests itself. In accordance with being a Sikh, I maintain my outward appearance – with uncut hair under my turban and a beard. They represent living in accordance with God as instructed by the Sikh Gurus. They represent spirituality and discipline.

Not just a symbol but a constant reminder to be upstanding and devote, while always thinking of God. It means wherever I go and whoever I meet I stand out from the crowd – a call to be a responsible Sikh and to help those in need. For me, there’s no hiding my faith. My clothes might change but my identity means people always know I am a Sikh and that I seek to abide by the highest of principles. My Sikh faith has a deep and personal meaning for me, and it shows in everything I do.

Being a Sikh I can never forget those thousands of Sikhs before me who were loyal servants of our country for more than a century and a half. Their Sikh faith instructed them to be saint soldiers – to defend those less fortunate and the weak, to protect the saintly, to stand up against tyranny. Their historic example reminds me daily that faith in God and selfless service to a higher cause is the highest form of living.

One I’m sure we all aspire to. Nor do I forget as a British Sikh that the principles I believe in are Universal Principles – ones that all of the world faiths represented here today share. Belief in God. Selfless service to His Creation. Helping others in need. Being honest and just. The list is endless – a good thing as it shows there is much that unites us all in our devotion to our faiths and to God.

I’ll end by giving the salutation that all Sikhs give – offering their victories, however great or small to the One Lord who is himself the dispeller of Darkness and the true salvation for us all.

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh.