Pope’s India visit a “distinct possibility”

Kolkata: Pope’s India visit has become “a distinct possibility,” Church leaders in the country say.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of Catholics in the country, has invited Pope Francis to canonize Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata in the eastern Indian city, the base for her work among the poorest of the poor, said a report in The Times of India on December 25.

Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta confirmed that the bishops have sent an invitation to the Pope and that the prelates are expecting a reply by the second week of January. “The Pope will have to consult the Vatican cardinals, who will be busy during Christmas. The Holy Father has travelled to various countries for canonization. So, we do expect him in Kolkata,” the archbishop said and added that they are “keeping their fingers crossed.”

The archbishop also said the Pope can visit India only if the federal government invites him formally. “Not only does the Pope have to accept our invitation, the government of India also has to extend a formal invitation. It is perhaps still too early for these to materialize,” the archbishop added.

Sunil Lucas, working president of the World Catholic Association for Communication, agreed. “The Pope is the head of a state so the government of India has to invite him formally.

Since the Pope has “a very busy schedule” the date for the canonization has to be fixed accordingly. “Last year, CBCI had invited him to attend St. Francis Xavier’s exposition — which happens once in a decade –in Goa, but he couldn’t make it,” Lucas said.

The last Papal visit to India was in 1999 when Pope John Paul II came to New Delhi to release an apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Asia (Church in Asia) based on the reports from the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia held the previous year in Rome.

The first Pope to visit India was Pope Paul VI in 1964. John Paul II came for a ten-day visit in February 1986 when he met Mother Teresa in Kolkata. He also visited Delhi, Ranchi, Shillong, Chennai, Mangalore, Trichur, Kochi, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Pune and Mumbai.

The way for Mother Teresa’s canonization was cleared when the Vatican accepted Mother Teresa’s second miracle recently. The news report quoted sources close to the Missionaries of Charity to assert the Pope’s visit “is a distinct possibility.”

If what is reported takes place, India will witness a canonization for the first time. Five Indians have become saints so far in the Indian Church’s 2000-year-old history, but all of them were canonized outside the country.

Lucas sees enough precedence for Pope Francis to make the trip to Kolkata. In January this year, Pope Francis canonized Saint Joseph Vaz, a missionary from India, in Sri Lanka where he had worked in the 17th century. The Pope had also travelled to Ecuador for a canonization recently.

“If the Pope makes the trip, it will be a fitting tribute to Mother Teresa,” Lucas says. According to the lay leader, Mother Teresa is not a saint from distant past, but someone who had lived and worked in Kolkata until 1997. She remains alive in the hearts of the people of Indians, especially those in the eastern India city where she had begun her unique service to the poorest of the poor.

“It will be ideal if the canonization happens in Kolkata instead of the Vatican. Kolkata will then have a chance to celebrate Mother’s sainthood and play a part in it rather than just watching it on TV,” Lucas says.

However, CBCI, which coordinates works of 171 dioceses in the country, is skeptical about the `current dispensation taking an initiative to invite the Pope’. “Going by recent events, we are not sure if the Indian government will make the move,” said a source close to the Missionaries of Charity.

Archbishop D’Souza said the venue and date will be fixed immediately as soon as the Pope confirms the visit. “The year 2016 will be observed as the year of Mercy under the Vatican’s instruction. It will culminate in a celebration on September 4, which could be the ideal occasion for the Pope to canonize Mother Teresa in Kolkata. The only hitch could be the weather because monsoon would have set in by then,” he said.

The Year of Mercy began on December 8 this year and will end on November 20, 2016, the day celebrated as the feast of Christ the King.

Lucas says Mother Teresa’s canonization could be pushed back to November. “It all depends on the Pope’s itinerary. He needs a window to travel to Kolkata. If he does make it, it will be a crowning glory for both Mother Teresa and Kolkata,” he added.