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Meet Anil Couto, Delhi Archbishop who ran into controversy with a prayer

The archbishop of Delhi recently found himself in the eye of a storm after penning a letter asking the priests in his parish and religious institutions under Delhi Archdiocese to "pray for the nation"

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Manavi Kapur
Religion can be a sticky subject in any part of the world. Particularly so in India where it often also becomes a political hot potato. Anil Couto, the archbishop of Delhi, would know, having recently found himself in the eye of one such storm.

In a letter, Couto had asked the priests in his parish and religious institutions under the Delhi Archdiocese to “pray for the nation” every Friday, especially given that the general elections were a year away. It would have passed as a harmless call for prayer had Couto not gone forward and described the “political atmosphere” in