'Senior Vatican officials were pleasantly surprised at the number of Indians who had come to witness the ceremony.'
It was a special day in Vatican City and among the sea of people at St Peter's Basilica were many Indians, particularly from Kerala.
Surely, there must have been plenty of Malayalam spoken in St Peter's Square last weekend.
People from around the world had congregated to see Pope Francis elevate 21 cardinals in one of the most significant ceremonies of the Catholic church, and seated in the pews was an Indian government delegation along with a large contingent of Christians from Kerala.
The Indians were there to celebrate the elevation of Thiruvananthapuram born Father George Jacob Koovakad as cardinal.
The 51 year old is among the youngest cardinals and the first Catholic priest from India to be directly appointed to the rank without serving as a bishop or archbishop. He is the sixth Indian in the collegium of cardinals.
Many from Cardinal Koovakad's Syro-Malabar archdiocese in Changanaserry, parishioners and family had come to participate in the solemn ceremony.
"Cardinal Koovakad's installation to Pope Francis' collegium of cardinals is a milestone. He is very young and has a tremendous future. It is a moment of pride for all Indians, especially the Christian community," says former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a member of the Indian delegation.
"I told Cardinal George that we were proud of him and were there to convey the best wishes on behalf of the PM, the government and all of India."
"He was moved and happy that we had travelled from India."
"Senior officials of the Vatican were also pleasantly surprised at the number of Indians who had come to witness the ceremony," says Chandrasekhar who was seated next to visitors from Lithuania and Ivory Coast at St Peter's Basilica during the ceremony.
The special ceremony was solemnised against the backdrop of the Christmas festivities where the nativity tree had been put up at St Peter's Square and tourists who had planned their visit to coincide with the holiday season.
Mr Chandrasekhar met three senior Indian cardinals at the event. He also met the cardinal from Iran and several of the 21 cardinals created that day.
There are 250 cardinals in the Catholic Church, of which 140 are eligible to elect a new pope.
Cardinal Koovakad serves in the Vatican's diplomatic corps and organises the Pope's travels. He was ordained as a priest in 2004 and has served in Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica and Venezuela.
The Holy See is the supreme body of government of the Catholic Church. It is a sovereign juridical entity under international law.
India's Ambassador to Austria, Holy See and Montenegro Shambhu Kumaran was also present at the ceremony.
The Indian delegation comprised Union Minority Affairs Minister George Kurien, Congress MP K Suresh from Changanaserry, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu and BJP politicians Anil Antony, Anoop Antony and Tom Vaddakan.
The moment was also significant because Changanaserry in a way binds both the cardinal and Chandrasekhar.
"The centre of the Syro-Malabar church and the centre of the Nair community to which I belong are both in the same small town of Changanaserry," explains Chandrasekhar who had visited the Vatican as a tourist in the past.
The Indian delegation also met Pope Francis, 88, one of the oldest popes to hold the highest office in the Roman Catholic church. The morning of the ceremony the pope had unfortunately bruised his chin after a fall.
"He met our delegation individually, shook our hands and gave us a blessed rosary," says Chandrasekhar.
"He is restricted to a wheelchair, but was extremely warm and welcoming. After meeting the delegation, he met 500-600 other visitors from other countries and delegations. Many had come from all over the world to be part of the ceremony that day."
Several Indian leaders have met Pope Francis. Prime Minister Narendra D Modi met him at the Vatican in 2021 and on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy this summer.
Then Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik called on him in 2022. The late foreign minister Sushma Swaraj led the Indian delegation to the Vatican for the canonisation of Mother Teresa in 2016. The chief ministers of West Bengal and Delhi -- Mamta Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal were also part of the delegation and met the pope.
The last papal visit to India was by Pope John Paul II in 1999. Prime Minister Modi had invited Pope Francis to India during G7 summit in Italy.
"Pope Francis speaks about issues that impact the world and it is a fond hope, especially of the Catholic community that he visits India. George Kurienji on behalf of the GoI has reiterated our invitation," says Chandrasekhar.
"While there is no commitment on a date, it is clear that the Vatican and GoI will work together."
But before that visit happens, Cardinal Koovakad will travel to Kerala this month and what a special homecoming that would be.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
