Evangelical broadcaster to answer God's letters

Dutch postal company TPG has decided to send all anonymous letters addressed to God to the country's evangelical broadcasting company. Up to now, the Deity's mail from the Netherlands has ended up in the wastepaper basket.

Members of the aftercare division of the EO broadcasting company will pray for the people who write the letters, clergyman Cees van Velzen, of the division, said on Monday.

The arrangement was initiated by Andre Rouvoet, the leader of the small Christian party ChristenUnie.

Rouvoet raised the issue of the letters during a radio interview on New Year's Day. He asked why the letters were being dumped. He noted that letters to God posted in Israel are placed in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

TPG contacted Rouvoet following the broadcast and began discussions about how to deal with such letters in future. The ChristenUnie then put the TPG in touch with EO.

The postal companies currently has 20 letters addressed to God, but it has not received any new ones for some months. It is making arrangements to ensure EO deals with the letters in a conscientious manner, news agency ANP reported.

The ChristenUnie said that the EO's aftercare division frequently received other letters addressed to God. The Christian broadcaster forwards letters addressed to Allah or other non-Christian deities to the appropriate organisation.