Messenger of peace: A file picture of Pope John Paul II addressing a rally during his landmark visit to Ranchi in February,1986.

?The basis for determining the value of human work is not the kind of work being done, but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person? ? Pope John Paul II.

The multitudes, who had gathered at the Ranchi airport grounds on February 3, 1986, to hear the Pope speak were taken aback when one of the world?s greatest religious leaders chose to speak on the dignity of labour and the need for ?just remuneration?. The words echo across the gulf of time, reminding the world of the Pope?s commitment to justice ? both spiritual and material.

To the people from Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Nepal and the Andamans, who had assembled to hear him, the Pope had said, ?Today, I would reflect with you on the value and dignity of human work.?

No one should be used as a mere instrument for production, as though, the person was a machine or a beast of burden. The church rejects any social or economic system that leads to the depersonalisation of workers. Over and above the concern for proper working conditions, the church insists on a just wage for workers, a wage that takes into account the needs of their family, the Pope had said.

?Unemployment and under-employment give rise to frustration and a feeling of uselessness. They threaten the dignity of every man and woman. There is an urgent need to take fresh initiatives to solve this grave problem,? the Pope added. Nearly two decades later, his plea for dignity has a special resonance for this fledgling state. Agrees Cardinal Telesphore P.Toppo. ?The holy Pope was a great visionary,? he said, just before boarding a plane to Rome to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II. He was aware of the grip of poverty on the region and so used the platform to demand an end to exploitation of the people, Toppo said.

The 1986 visit has left behind many other memories. Toppo?s assistant, Vincent Barwa, the auxiliary bishop, recalled sharing the podium with the Pontiff. ?I introduced many people to the Pope, all of whom were shaking his hands. There was such a crowd that I thought it better to give others a chance to meet him. He noticed that, called out to me and extending his hand, shook my hands,? Barwa said.