The Rev. Franklin Graham was recently unable to attend a Christian revival event in India due to a visa issue, with some alleging foul play.
Reports circulated last week stating that the 73-year-old Graham was prevented from speaking at an event in Nagaland late last month to commemorate the anniversary of a crusade his father, the late Rev. Billy Graham, conducted in the region 53 years earlier. The Times of India reported that Graham had been denied a visa, causing one local leader to send letters to federal officials voicing displeasure with the matter.
A spokesperson for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association clarified the situation in a statement sent to The Christian Post on Tuesday.
“The visas for Rev. Franklin Graham and our team were approved by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division; however, it was after the necessary departure date for Mr. Graham to arrive in time for Nagaland United: A Gathering of Faith, Hope and Revival and for the Hornbill Festival,” read the statement.
“Mr. Franklin Graham is grateful to the Kohima Baptist Pastor’s Fellowship and to the Chief Minister of Nagaland Dr. Niephiu Rio for the invitation to visit Nagaland, as his father Billy Graham also did in 1972. We also worked closely with the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and are thankful for their assistance.”
The event, held in the state capital of Kohima, was a collaboration among the Kohima Baptist Pastors Fellowship, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, and the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum. Robert Cunville, an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a longtime friend and ministry partner in India, preached the Gospel in Graham’s place, according to the BGEA spokesperson.
After Graham was unable to attend the event, Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee President Lal Thanzara wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his “extreme disappointment,” Times of India notes.
Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, also released a statement denouncing Graham’s visa issue.
“The decision by India’s federal government to deny Rev. Graham a visa is a troubling affront to Indian Christians and the Indian constitution’s protections for freedom of religion,” stated Smith.
“The discriminatory treatment of Rev. Graham, prohibiting him from visiting a region where he was invited and expected to be warmly welcomed by thousands who share his faith does not align with Prime Minister Modi’s promises to work toward improved ties with the United States nor with his promises to protect religious minorities.”
Smith said that Samaritan’s Purse, an international Evangelical charity organization led by Graham, has been providing various aid to India for over 40 years.
In 1972, the Rev. Billy Graham held a crusade event at the Khuochiezie Local Ground in Kohima, which Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio referenced in a speech.
“Many in our state still cherish the memory of that crusade,” said Rio at the event, as quoted by The Nagaland Tribune. “It sowed seeds of faith, awakening, and spiritual renewal that continue to bear fruit even today.”
