A papal visit to India is being planned for the near future, a spokesman for the country’s bishops has disclosed.

“We are still hopeful that the visit (by Pope Francis to India) will take place at least early next year, if not earlier,” said Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas,the secretary-general of the Indian bishops’ conference. Officials at the Vatican and in New Delhi are trying to find dates for a papal visit that would accommodate both the Pontiff and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.