Three Popes have visited India: Pope Paul VI was the first, visiting Bombay in 1964 for the 38th International Eucharistic Congress. Subsequently, Pope John Paul II visited in 1986 (visiting Delhi and other cities) and again in 1999. These visits focused on strengthening ties with India's Catholic community and promoting interfaith dialogue.
The first Pope to visit India was Pope Paul VI, who visited Mumbai in 1964 to attend the International Eucharistic Congress. Pope John Paul II visited India in February 1986 during which he visited different parts of India, including Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata and met with the Indian leadership.
The Postal Department of India issued a stamp commemorating his mission to the country. According to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of India, the Apostle Thomas landed in Muziris (Cranganore) in present day Kerala in 52 CE, and was martyred in Mylapore, near Madras in 72 CE.
In 1964, at the invitation of Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, Pope Paul VI visited India from 2 to 5 December to celebrate the 38th International Eucharistic Congress. Jawaharlal Nehru, who had been Prime Minister since 1947, was a vigorous advocate of tolerance and a leader among the non-allied nations.
The recent news—though not officially confirmed—that Pope Francis was unable to visit India because of a lack of invitation from the Indian government is one such moment (Maktoob Media, 2025, April 22). On the surface, it may seem like a minor procedural issue.
PM Modi meets Pope Francis at Vatican, invites him to visit India
Who converted Kerala to Christianity?
According to tradition, Christianity in Kerala was founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle, who landed on the Malabar Coast, at Maliankara near Cranganore (Kodungallur), in 52 AD. For how long the date has been established is an interesting question in itself.
In the course of that research – while reading about Gandhi's participation at the Second Round Table Conference and his consequent stopover in Rome to meet Pope Pius XI – my attention was drawn to a detail mentioned in passing in major biographies of Gandhi: 'the Pope refused to meet him because he was improperly ...
A belief that Jesus survived the crucifixion and spent his remaining years in Kashmir has led to a run-down shrine in Srinagar making it firmly onto the must-visit-in India tourist trail. In the backstreets of downtown Srinagar is an old building known as the Rozabal shrine.
Jesus's name was Yeshua, also a common jewish name at that time where he lived. In hindi and malayalam we refer him as yeshu or ishu/isho or eesa/isa. Eesa though a common hindi name used by others to denote christ is not used by north indian christians as much.
Robert Van Voorst states that modern scholarship has "almost unanimously agreed" that claims of the travels of Jesus to Tibet, Kashmir or rest of India contain "nothing of value".
Pope Benedict XVI visited England and Scotland on a four-day Papal visit from 16-19 September 2010. The Holy Father flew firstly to Scotland where he was received by Her Majesty The Queen. Later he celebrated a public Mass at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
Though he esteemed Jesus as an Aryan fighter against Jewish materialism who was martyred for his anti-Jewish stance, he did not ascribe to Jesus's death any significance in human salvation. Indeed, he did not believe in salvation at all in the Christian sense of the term, because he denied a personal afterlife.
Pope Adrian (or Hadrian) IV (Latin: Hadrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); c. 1100 – 1 September 1159) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 until his death in 1159. He is the only pope to have been born in England and the first pope from the Anglosphere.
Which Hindu caste mostly converted to Christianity?
The first people converted by Jesuits of the Madura Mission to Christianity were members of Nadars, Maravars and Pallar. Caste based occupations held by Dalits also show a clear segregation which perpetuated even after becoming Christian.
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani, Malankara Nasrani, or Nasrani Mappila, are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala (Malabar region), who, for the most part, employ the Eastern and Western liturgical rites of Syriac ...
Infrastructure Deficits: Despite progress, inadequate infrastructure continues to hinder economic efficiency and industrial productivity.
Energy Dependence: India remains heavily reliant on energy imports, covering 40% of its primary energy needs, making it vulnerable to global energy price fluctuations.
Islam does not have any institutional hierarchy like other religions. This allows Muslims to interpret their faith according to their own conscience while having access to qualified religious scholars who can provide guidance on how to live in accordance with God's will.
