NEW DELHI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday called Pope Benedict's remarks against Islam "a precursor to a greater war between Islam and Christianity". VHP chief Ashok Singhal said Islam was rapidly expanding in the West, thereby "threatening the existence of Christianity". "It is a battle of survival for them," he told a press conference. Singhal said though Hindus would not draw into this global battle, but cautioned that neither India nor Hindus would remain unaffected by it. The Ultra-Hindu nationalist party chief accused the pope and Christian missionaries of spending billions of rupees on religious conversions in secular societies. He accused the pope of running secret organisation Opus Dei to spread Christianity in secular societies.