NEW DELHI, Jan. 15 -- India's General Elections will be held somewhere between April and May 2024. Rumours are afoot that Indian Prime Minister Modi may be planning to arrange a Papal visit to India.

The first Pope to visit India was Pope Paul VI, who visited Mumbai in 1964. The last Pope to visit India was John Paul II in 1999. In 2016, Pope Francis said he was "almost sure" of visiting India and Bangladesh the following year. However, Indian Catholic Church leaders reportedly failed to convince Modi to invite him. When that visit fell through, Church officials quoted the government's version that it had scheduling problems for the Prime Minister. Pope Francis visited Myanmar and Bangladesh instead.

In October 2021, on the occasion of ...