India in Pope Francis’s gentle heart

Kochi: Pope Francis always showed a deep appreciation for the Indian Church, gifting five saints to the country. The Pope had a strong desire to visit India, which unfortunately never materialised. His papacy also saw his direct interventions in the affairs of the Indian Church, even sending a delegate to resolve a crisis over the style of Mass in an oriental Church in Kerala.
In Nov 2014, the Pope recognised the vitality of Kerala's Christian community and anointed two more from the Syro-Malabar Church, Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia Eluventhinkal, as saints. Pope Francis canonised Mother Teresa a saint in Sept 2016, declaring her Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Mariam Thresia Chiramel was canonised as a saint in Oct 2019. Devasahayam Pillai, an 18th-century Indian layman who converted to Christianity, was canonised as a saint in May 2022.
Thamarassery Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil says each time they met, the Pope's knowledge of the latest developments in India left a lasting impression on him. "The Pope studied about India and about each development here. Whenever I visited the Pope, he used to talk closely about matters here and attentively ask about the happenings here. I was amazed at the level at which he used to think so closely about India. In recent times, the Pope made five saints from India and showed special care towards us. We know that the Pope loved the Church in India through his actions," said Inchananiyil.
The Pope had a strong wish to visit India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited him when he met him in 2021. However, the journey never materialised. Cardinal George Alencherry of the Syro-Malabar Church said that he was very close to India.
"He had this strong craving to come to India. We talked about that whenever we met. We, three Cardinals from India, together met him once and he told us that we must make it happen and that he shall come. Unfortunately it didn't happen. Or maybe it was God's plan," said Alencherry.
A few months ago, in Dec, Pope Francis, in a show of another Indian connection, elevated a Keralite priest, George Jacob Koovakad, to the rank of cardinal. Koovakad will be remembered in history as the first priest to be directly elevated as a cardinal from India and will attend the next conclave to elect the new Pope.
"A priest from India being made a cardinal directly was one of the biggest gifts that he could have given to India. It was a huge recognition for the Syro-Malabar Church as well," said Bishop Inchananiyil.
Pope Francis also had to intervene during crises in the Indian Church. In Dec 2023, the Pope went to the extreme of issuing a video message to the Syro-Malabar archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, in which he denounced agitation surrounding the liturgy and made an appeal for unity.
The Pope also appointed Archbishop Cyril Vasil, SJ, as Pontifical Delegate with special faculties to resolve the situation in the archdiocese. However, the crisis over implementing a uniform mass in the archdiocese continues to remain unresolved.