I have read the reply given by Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara (Light of Truth 1-15th February) to a question about the prospects of Pope Francis visiting India in the near future. Having been a seasoned Vatican diplomat, Archbihop Kuriakose has given a diplomatic reply saying that one cannot write off such a visit in the future.
Being the Head of State of the Vatican which has diplomatic relations with India with an Indian Ambassador to the Vatican and a Vatican Nuncio (Ambassador) in New Delhi, State Protocol requires an invitation from The President of India to the Pope to visit India. Of course, if it is a Pastoral visit, it ceases to be a State visit. The fact of the matter is, to the best of my knowledge, such an invitation has not been extended to the Pope by the President of India during the BJP regime. Pope Francis has visited other countries in the region and I am not sure whether his flight has overflown Indian territory. It would have been a great act of courtesy, if the government had even sounded out the Vatican State Secretariat about such a possibility, but it did not.
By nature of things, it will not be possible for an RSS/BJP government to ignore its own unfavourable and at times hostile attitude towards Christians in India. After all, the RSS does not consider Christians in India to be one hundred percent Indians. The present RSS Chief said recently that all Christians in India are Hindus. I remember listening to Prof Balraj Madok, one of the Founders of the Jan Sangh, the earlier incarnation of the BJP, declaring that Christians in India are like guests coming to visit some friends, but like all guests are expected to go back to their homes.
Therefore, how can a BJP government ,inspired by such ideas easily change its policy and invite a Pope who is heading a group of unwanted guests. It is good that Western countries which have Christian majorities do not ask Hindus settled in their countries, like the huge number of Indians in the US, to go back to their own original countries. A few years ago Swizerland which has allowed several mosques with Saudi support to be built told the Saudi government that unless Saudi Arabia allowed Churches to be built in that country, Switzerland would no more allow mosques to be built in that country. I do not know what followed. I myself lived in Geneva near a mosque, only a walking distance from a Catholic Church.
I will only say that while the Christian community must continue to press its request and pray for it, let us not be too worried about it. The BJP government has a policy of its own to restrict Christian presence in India. A few days back our three Cardinals met the Prime Minister and, among other things, requested him to invite the Pope who has often expressed his wish to visit India. The PM said that such a visit could take place sometime in the future

P.T. Kuriakose