'The way our President was greeted, that itself shows how far India has come.'
'People were aware of who she is, people know who our prime minister is.'
'Everybody knows India now and everybody respects India.'
As white smoke bellowed out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, Thursday, May 8, 2025, marked a historic day for Catholics the world over.
Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was revealed as the new Pope, making him the first American pontiff. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The 69 year old's ascendency to the head of the Vatican came after two-day voting at the papal conclave, where 135 members of the College of Cardinals assembled.
Nearly three weeks earlier, the Catholic community fell into mourning with the most revered Pope Francis' passing.
The Argentinian, called 'The People's Pope', passed away, aged 88, on Easter Monday, April 21, after a stroke, followed by a cardiac arrest.
He was accorded a State funeral on April 26, and laid to rest as 250,000 people, including world leaders and global dignitaries, descended on the Vatican to pay their final respects to the late pontiff.
President Droupadi Murmu led the Indian delegation to the Vatican for Pope Francis' funeral, Among the Rashtrapati's delegation was Goa Assembly Deputy Speaker Joshua Peter De Souza.
"Considering the kind of Pope he was, the way he connected with people, the way his nature was so simple, and to see the energy that was there at the Vatican, and to be able to go in and just be there and be part of it, it goes to show the kind of love and affection that he had from all over the Catholic community, " the 36-year-old Mapusa MLA tells Rediff's Norma Astrid Godinho hours before Cardinal Prevost was elected as Pope Francis' successor.
What was your reaction on being selected as a member of the Indian delegation to the Vatican for the pope's funeral?
I was quite surprised that my name had made it to that list of where only three people from across India were to be part of the delegation that was going for the funeral.
I got very emotional considering what an honour it was to not only represent the Catholic community, but my state of Goa, my constituency and all the people we represent, not only in Goa but the entire country as a whole.
To be part of Her Excellency The President's delegation, to be able to fly with her in her personal aircraft and be part of such a big, big solemn event at the Vatican, it was quite emotional.
I felt like there was a huge weight on me. The love, prayers and emotions of all the people of Goa that I had to carry with me to make this journey all the way to Italy.
What was it like to be present at the Vatican during Pope Francis' funeral?
I have been to the Vatican before. I have been there for a happy occasion, for a celebration, when the cardinals (Archbishop of Goa Daman Filipe Neri Ferrao and Archbishop Anthony Poola of Hyderabad) were inducted in 2022.
But to be there for the passing of His Holiness and to see him in a casket was extremely emotional.
It was a once in a lifetime experience to be there physically and to understand how much love and respect Pope Francis had from the global community.
What memorable moments from the ceremony have stayed with you?
The fact that they included so many languages during the service. The service was primarily in Latin but each reading was done in a different language. The inclusion of various languages was extremely touching.
Considering that the audience watching the funeral was global, they made sure that everybody could understand some part of it.
The Vatican is not a very big space and to organise the ins and outs, the movement of the public, that was handled brilliantly. I don't know how they managed to do that in a week.
How they managed all the dignitaries, that was amazing, considering that everybody is extremely high profile, and how do you deal with the security protocols of every nation.
All of that truly amazed me.
Did you interact with religious or political leaders from other countries?
No. We didn't get a chance. Smile at a few people and nod heads. Everybody was busy either trying to get in or trying to get out.
We were surrounded by top leaders of the world. A few people from Saudi Arabia were in front of us. We had Joe Biden not too far from us. The president of Hungary, he was in front of us.
And, of course the crowds, which were over 200,000. They spent their own money just to pay their respects to His Holiness. That an experience in itself.
In what ways did India's presence at the funeral contribute to strengthening India's diplomatic and cultural ties with the Vatican and the global Catholic community?
India has of late shared a strong relationship with global leaders across the world. You can see the narrative that India has set for itself, that it has turned out to be quite a superpower over the last decade.
His Holiness Pope Francis and our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a very special, special relationship. And, of course, the relationship is not only with Pope Francis, I am sure that the good relations will continue with the new Pontiff -- Pope Leo XIV.
Goa is the centre of the Catholic faith on this side of the world. We have a lot of cardinals that have been of Goan origin (Valerian Gracias, the late archbishop of Bombay; Ivan Dias, the archbishop of Bombay; Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Agra and Mumbai; Joseph Anthony Cordeiro, the bishop of Karachi, and Joseph Coutts, the archbishop of Karachi), a lot of presence in the Indian subcontinent, with regards to religious leaders.
India is strongly represented at the Vatican on its own, leaving aside the political relationship.
So considering India being the largest in terms of population and growing number of people in the faith, I'm sure that it is a long and continuous growing relationship.
We could see what a difference India has made in the last decade or so and how it continues to grow at this level.
You can see the way we are respected as citizens of India when we are received by foreign dignitaries. The way our President was greeted at the event, that itself shows how far India has come.
People were aware of who she is, people know who our prime minister is. Everybody knows India now and everybody respects India.
As a representative of Goa, a state with a rich Catholic heritage, what significance did this experience hold for you personally and politically?
Personally, it was quite surprising to a lot of people just as it was surprising to me.
As soon as I got back, there were a lot of phone calls, a lot people wanted to know what the experience was, just like this interview, everybody wanted to know what it was like.
And what a honour each and everyone felt, that a boy they knew just a couple of years ago was chosen from our Goa and our Mapusa to be part of this delegation.
I happened to visit a few homes unintentionally after my return and everybody seemed to be interested in how the visit went and how the entire thing unfolded, right from the time I got the call to when I landed there. How the journey was, how the funeral went.
I consider it as a sign from God to do more than what I'm already doing. With God's blessings, and whatever He has planned for me and my future, I have taken it as a sign from above for the betterment of our society.
How do you plan to share and reflect on this experience with your constituents in Mapusa and the wider Goan community?
It all happened (being elected an MLA) during Pope Francis' tenure. So the most important thing is to work the way he worked for our community.
The way he was able to cross multiple religious lines and be that kind of person who was welcoming towards all.
He was against war and he was more for peace. He worked to lift the downtrodden and the people that didn't have all the necessary facilities to make something or be someone.
As a Catholic that is something that has been instilled in us right from birth.
And just continuing his good work, being a good Catholic and to be able to reach out to everybody, irrespective of religion, or their social standing. Just to be a good human being, that is why Pope Francis had such a successful reign.
I am sure that any person who lives like this in today's society will definitely have success and blessings from God.
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