Swamis of Sivagiri Mutt here in Kerala, who had met Pope Francis at the Vatican in November and were impressed by his simplicity and deep respect for all religions, were looking forward to his visit when the news of his passing came.

Pope Francis had received the swamis from Sivagiri Mutt, the final resting place of saint and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, at the prayer hall of the Vatican during an all-religion conference and expressed his eagerness to visit the mutt on his India trip in 2026.

For the nine-member delegation, meeting the pope on November 30 was an unforgettable experience. They
had never expected the pope
to throw open the prayer
hall of Saint Peter’s Basilica for the event organised by the mutt to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Narayana Guru’s first All Religions’ Conference.

Swami Shubhangananda, general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust (SNDST), told The Telegraph that the pope was fascinated by the yellow shawl he was greeted with and which had Narayana Guru’s teachings etched on it.

“The pope wore that shawl throughout the programme. He was keen to know what was written on it. I explained to him about Narayana Guru’s philosophy — ‘One Caste, One Religion, One God for Man’ — which formed the foundation of his social revolution against the caste system,” Swami Shubhangananda said.

Swami Rithambarananda, director of the SNDST board, said the pope was excited about visiting India.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the way the pope greeted us individually
and spent more than 90 minutes with us. I had given him a book, Sreenarayana Guru: The Mystical Life and Teachings, published by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. He was curious to know more about the book and immediately started reading the blurb on the back cover. It’s indeed a sad day for all of us. Pope Francis’s successor might visit India next year. The Sivagiri Mutt will send a fresh invitation eventually,” said Swami Rithambarananda.

There are approximately 37.50 lakh Catholic Christians in Kerala, accounting for around 61 per cent of the total Christian population in the state.

Church leaders and the Christian community across Kerala mourned the passing of the pope, remembering him for his simplicity and deep respect for Indian culture and identity.

Kerala Catholic Bishops Council president Cardinal Cleemis led a special prayer in Pope Francis’s memory at St Mary’s Cathedral at Pattom here on Monday evening. The 64-year-old will be among the four Indian cardinals who will vote for the next pope.

The other cardinal from Kerala who will have the voting right is George Jacob Koovakad. In January, Pope Francis elevated Archbishop Koovakad to the rank of cardinal, making him the first Catholic priest from India to be directly appointed to the rank.

The last pope to visit India was St John Paul II in 1999.