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Church announces: Hare Krishna leader doing good work

Sabhapati Dasa: That night, that's when Bishop Kelly, the Catholic Bishop of Melbourne, came to see Prabhupada. Prabhupada was staying in Ugrasrava's house. We only had a very small temple at that time, so he came to visit. He was good enough to come and visit Prabhupada in the house. He came at about six o'clock, and we opened the door. It was Friday afternoon - most of the priests on Friday afternoon start drinking. So we opened the door and the stink of whiskey... Prabhupada picked up on it.

So anyhow, they invited him in, shook hands, and he came in and he sat down. They spoke for some time. He asked some pretty good questions even though he was drunk. Prabhupada could see it. So then Prabhupada said, "Oh, today I met with the students from St. Paschal's, would you like to hear the conversation?"

So Prabhupada just played the tape, and the priest, the bishop sitting there, he's sort of nodding off. Anyhow, it was all over. Then the bishop left and he brought along a photographer and he took a photo of Srila Prabhupada and the bishop. In Australia there's a big Catholic paper called the 'Advocate.' It's like the National Catholic paper which has a huge, I don't know, probably fifty, hundred thousand copies. All the Catholics get it. Anyhow, it came out - there was a full front page picture of Prabhupada on the Catholic 'Advocate'. 

Then he met with this Reverend Gordon Powell. I couldn't stay for that one, I had to go. Ratha-yatra, was the next day, and I had to go and do something for Ratha-yatra. I missed the conversation with the Reverend Gordon Powell. But, Satsvarupa Maharaja said it was very good. There's some tape, you can get it and listen to it. Then, on the following Sunday, the Reverend Gordon Powell got up in his pulpit in the Presbyterian Church and said, "We had nothing to fear from these Hare Krishna people," like that, he said, "I've met with their leader and actually he's doing very good work, stimulating the young people to become interested in God consciousness again." So that was his comment after meeting Prabhupada - very, very respectful.



Reference: SPF Interviews