On Easter 2026, in my social media posts, I acknowledged the Pope’s timely message to the humanity and received interesting feedback in return. With permission from two of my friends, called Mr. Friend and Mr. Teacher in this piece, who are both well-educated and seasoned gentlemen, some interesting chats are reproduced here for readers’ interest.
Mr. Teacher:
“While Easter centres on a biological resurrection following a State execution, Guru Arjan Dev Ji’s five days of torture also by the State served as the womb for (the birth of) a new consciousness. By enduring the boiling cauldron, the red-hot plate, and the searing sand with meditative equanimity over three days, he proved that the ‘right to divinity’ is immune to State theosophy and terror.
“His sacrifice did not result in a singular return to life, but a demonstrated and proven Collective Resurrection of the spirit for the people of Punjab—transforming a subjugated population into the sovereign Khalsa, eternally unbowed before tyranny.
“Guru Arjan’s sacrifices, and that of hundreds of thousands of Sikhs for the benefit of mankind, remain forgotten, yet the mythical State sponsored Resurrection of Easter is a Global holiday.’
While Mr Teacher is entitled to his views about Easter, he forgot to mention the names of two other Sikh Gurus – Ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621 – 1675) and Tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666 – 1708) and his four sons (Char Sahibzade) – who sacrificed their lives while standing for humanity against oppression by 6th Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb (1618 – 1707). The Fifth Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563 – 1606) stood against the tyranny of the 3rd Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569 – 1627), the grandfather of Aurangzeb.
I replied:
‘By highlighting Jusus’ sacrifice for the humanity, we are not belittling the sacrifices of the revered Sikh Gurus. As such, there is no competition between the sacrifices of great noble souls. The Pope’s timely reminder about peace must be acknowledged with humility.’
Mr. Friend:
‘Trump has offended the mighty Catholic community of at least 1.5 billion faithfuls. He has been openly warned by his Holiness Pope Leo XIV that all his and his assistants’ prayers to Jesus will not be heard. President Trump’s hands are covered with blood. In another word, thus, his will have no salvation!
But the Christian God is almighty and forgiving. Redemption is always possible with the right amount of donations to the Church establishments. USD$5 trillion? The Industrial Military Complex at Pentagon may be able to afford it. Money makes the world go round.
May be the Pope wants a bit of the action. If you study the history of the Crusaders, the biggest winners in Europe and the middle East – financially – were the Churches and the Jews.’
Sensing a clear hint of scepticism, about the role of the Church, in Mr Friend’ tone in his last two paragraphs, I replied:
“I could be wrong, but this Pope seems to have genuinely reprimanded the aggressors and in a timely manner. Iran has so far conducted itself with discipline and restraint and, in its defence, responded proportionately against its aggressors. World has seen it. It is heartening; therefore, the West has shunned the US, breaking away from the history. We could be witnessing a massive shift in the world socio-geo-politics. Even those who looked stereotypically at China and Russia with fear and suspicion, have begun to open their eyes now and tend to credit these two superpowers for restoring balance against the US economic and military aggressions around the globe.”
Mr. Friend:
“Yes, that is a face value the reasons the Pope establishment wants to project to the world. The motivations behind the decision, however, only time will tell. I have my thoughts on this issue regarding the motivations.
It is interesting to note that US has waged wars on third world countries. Notably, however, none of the past US presidents received an open cold rebuke by the Pope in the manner President Trump has received. Is it because the current Pope is an American or is it that Mr Trump’s crude, rude behaviours, and open threats to exterminate a civilisation have crossed the line?”
I replied:
“The church must do the right things to survive any further scrutiny in today’s world of travel and internet and be able to win back people, especially, the Gen Z. Likewise, all religions must do the right (moral) thing, otherwise, they will potentially become redundant and finally disappear.
One can’t just keep blabbering unverifiable nonsense all the time and get away, words must make sense. The current world is connected, which has and reduced the divisive homophobic and xenophobic behaviours to a considerable extent. Look at the protest around the world, including in the US, against the war. As humans discover their own kind in other lands, traditional unfounded beliefs and divisive stereotypical perceptions will disappear in time.
So, going forward, it will be a challenging time for religions to survive and pass the scrutiny of the young and the educated.
We all belong to one human race, with 99.9-percent common DNA amongst us. To be one, therefore, is the need of the hour.”
Mr. Friend:
“Indeed.
‘If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you’ – Rudyard Kipling.”
With that important reminder from Rudyard Kipling, this piece must be concluded, with hope that good sense prevails on all sides and the war in West Asia stops once and for all.
Bill K Koul Perth, Western Australia (12 April 2026)
References:
Sikhism. THE TEN SIKH GURUS, Lives, Teachings & Legacy • 1469 – 1708, https://www.sikhreligion.net/tengurus/, accessed on 12 April 2026.
Insightful piece