Pope Francis likely to visit India post-2025 Jubilee Year celebrations, says Union minister
Union minister George Kurian said that India had already extended an official invitation to the Pope, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally inviting him.
Union minister George Kurian said on Saturday that Pope Francis' visit to India is likely to take place after 2025, designated as the "Jubilee Year" by the Catholic Church.
Kurian mentioned that India already extended an official invitation to the Pope, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally inviting him.
However, the Vatican would determine the final arrangements and scheduling.
He told the Asianet channel that the visit would align with Pope Francis’s availability.
Kurian, the Union minister of state for minority affairs, was part of a delegation visiting the Vatican to attend the ordination of Archbishop George Jacob Koovakad as Cardinal by Pope Francis, which is set to take place on Saturday.
Pope's visit to India
George Jacob Koovakad, 51, from Kerala, has been organising Pope Francis's international visits since 2020 and is among 21 clergy members elevated to Cardinal.
Previously holding the title of Monsignor, Koovakad was named the Titular Archbishop of Nisibis in Turkey. Union minister George Kurian explained, “The Church will celebrate 2025 as the Jubilee Year of Jesus Christ’s birth, and the Pope will be occupied throughout the year.”
He added, “Based on the information received, Pope Francis is expected to visit India after the Jubilee Year. We hope his visit will happen at the earliest.”
Kurian highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Christian community eagerly anticipate the Pope’s visit.
Earlier, Goa minister Mauvin Godinho hinted that the visit might happen sooner than expected. PM Modi personally invited Pope Francis during the G7 Outreach session held in Apulia, Italy, in June this year.
Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, is notable as the first Pope from the Society of Jesus, the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European Pope since Syrian Pope Gregory III in the 8th century.
(With PTI inputs)