It has come to light that Pope Francis will not be visiting India any time soon, which means he will not be attending the forthcoming Exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier scheduled between November and January this year. The question on everyone's mind would be what's gone wrong after the high hopes extended by the political dispensation.
Unfortunately, the Pope won't make it to India, not because of his busy schedule, but because there has been no official invite extended through the Ministry of External Affairs or the Prime Minister’s Office. Unfortunately, Goans were left guessing since the Centre did not respond to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s official correspondence in June requesting the PMO to invite the Pope and that Goa would like to host him during the Exposition.
That the Pope would not visit India was evident from the fact that the country does not figure in his Asia itinerary released by the Vatican. Neither has the Pope mentioned India being next on his list after he concluded his recent 12-day hectic tour nor was there any other indication. The 87-year-old pontiff had a marathon four-nation tour visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
Goa saw hope because, on June 15, a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi embracing the Pope went viral. Sawant tweeted that the PM met the Pope on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy and extended an invitation to visit India. “The PM admired his commitment to serve the people and extended an invitation, and we hope the visit includes Goa,” Sawant tweeted. Hopes have been raised by the current dispensation even at this late hour, despite knowing well for a fact that officially that's not possible.
Since the Pope is the head of a state, the national church body (CBCI) would usually request the Centre to invite him, or the Centre could do it on its own. In either case, an official invitation from the Centre would then have to be sent to the Vatican. The Centre would also intimate and coordinate with the national church body about this invitation given to the Pope, and accordingly, modalities would be worked out only if the Vatican confirms the visit. In normal course, Papal visits are planned at least one year in advance, in some cases even two, because there are protocols to be followed.
The State government’s engagement or role in the Exposition must be welcomed, but inviting the Pope has been overhyped possibly to keep the minorities in good humour. Sawant’s letter may show the spirit of inviting the Pope, but it serves no purpose at this late hour.
Yes, Goans were looking forward to Pope Francis’ presence because it is 40 years since a Pope visited Goa, after the 1986 visit by Pope John Paul II. And there could not have been a better timing than the Exposition. The unfortunate part is that the political will and the heartbeat of Goans were not in sync on this one.
