India blocks 'preaching' bishop

Bishop Perham is hoping to re-arrange the trip for later in 2009

The Bishop of Gloucester was refused entry to India because he was unable to promise not to preach.

The Right Reverend Michael Perham had wanted to visit the city's partner dioceses in Dornakal and Karnataka Central.

He had a tourist visa, which the Indian High Commission said was insufficient for "work" purposes.

A commission spokesman in London, said: "On a tourist visa he should not and must not preach."

'Business visa'

The bishop's chaplain, Aiden Platten, said they had previously travelled on tourist visas to India without problems.

He said: "The visas were tourist visas - that is what we applied for previously and we have been to India lots of times.

"Our passports were lost and when we got them back they had no visas because the rules had changed at the end of last year.

"They said they would give us the visa only if we assured them we would do no preaching.

We need a letter from the churches he was visiting and the approval of the government of India. Mr Kaushik - High Commission of India in London

"My understanding now is that the clergy need a business visa if they want to do anything which is part of their work."

Mr Kaushik, a visa attache from the Indian High Commission, said: "If the bishop wants to go to India to visit churches or organisations to work with them we need a letter from the churches he was visiting and the approval of the government of India. Then we would look at what visa is appropriate."

Lucy Taylor, communication officer for the dioceses, made it clear that the incident did not mean that the bishop was banned from preaching in India. She said that he was hoping to re-arrange the trip for later in 2009.