Kerala Hindu leader gifts Rig Veda to Pope Francis

P. Sreekumar, Kerala State Coordinator of Hindus of America and a senior leader of the RSS-affiliated Hindu movement in Kerala, has presented a copy of the Rig Veda to Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome.

Sreekumar handed over the sacred text during his visit to the Vatican, where he attended the World Religious Convention.

The event featured Pope Francis as a keynote speaker.

Sreekumar told IANS: “If you recall, former Kerala Chief Minister and late CPI-M leader E.K. Nayanar gifted a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to Pope John Paul II during his Vatican visit in 1997. I felt the most appropriate gift this time would be the Rig Veda itself.”

He emphasised that the late Swami Satyānanda Saraswati, a renowned Kerala Hindu leader and saint, had often highlighted the importance of the Vedas as the foundational scripture of Hinduism, advocating that every Hindu household should possess a copy.

Building on this vision, Kerala Hindus of North America initiated the distribution of Rig Veda copies.

At a convention in Houston in 2023, participants were gifted the sacred text, complete with Sanskrit verses and English translations. Sreekumar, who is also a writer and journalist, contributed to the preparation of these editions.

He explained that the gift was approved through prior security protocols at the Vatican.

Handing it over personally to the Pope, he remarked that the Rig Veda symbolises the essence of Hindu philosophy.

Pope Francis accepted the gift with a thoughtful smile, asking, “Is this for me?”

The World Religious Convention was organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, founded by Sree Narayana Guru.

President of Sivagiri Mutt, Swami Sachithananda, also presented Pope Francis with a replica of the Ashoka Pillar and an interfaith logo.

Sreekumar shared a memorable moment from the convention, recalling how Pope Francis stepped off the stage after his speech to sit among children, engaging in prayer and personal conversations.

“The entire experience underscored shared values of respect, inclusivity, and the power of interfaith dialogue within a global community,” he noted.

An Indian delegation led by Union Minister of State George Kurien visited the Vatican to witness the elevation of George Jacob Koovakad, a 51-year-old Keralite priest, to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis.

Koovakad is the first Indian priest directly elevated to Cardinal.

Ordained in 2004, Cardinal Koovakad trained at the prestigious Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy before beginning his diplomatic career at the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria in 2006.

By 2020, he had joined the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, overseeing the organisation of the Pope’s global travels.