Vice President Hamid Ansari on Sunday said the country is blessed to have almost all the great religions, coexisting peacefully and prospering here, for centuries.
Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK), Vice President Ansari called Christianity one of the "great religions of the world", which preaches love, compassion, forgiveness and charity.
The Vice President also mentioned that Mahatma Gandhi had called Jesus Christ "the greatest teacher humanity has ever had".
He also applauded the contributions of the Church in social and charitable work in India, especially in education and health sectors.
The Vice President further said that India's biggest challenges are poverty and unemployment and appealed for the CASK to expand its areas of work to skill development and employment generation.
The apostle St Thomas is believed to have landed in the Malabar coast in 52 AD and Christianity has been an important part of the Indian community ever since.