NEW DELHI, India – Hindu nationalists trampled a photo of Pope Francis near Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi in a video calling for a Christian-free India which was recently posted online.

Beneath Canadians’ cringing at Justin Trudeau’s embarrassing Indian amble, there seemed charitable hope he could use the debacle for hard reflection on the difference between image and reality.

“Libera nos a malo” is usually translated “Deliver us from evil,” but the Latin word “libera” can also mean liberation.

The fundamental Christian desire to be free comes from the Lord’s Prayer. But a Toronto university professor claims it’s also a good way for a Catholic to understand Hindu theology.

At the University of St. Michael’s College, Reid Locklin has just published Liturgy of Liberation: A Christian Commentary on Shankara’s Upadeśasāhasrī. It is an academic look at the small but influential Advaita tradition in Hinduism.