Every papacy brings a new dawn, accompanied by many expectations as well as at least some anxieties. After a much-loved liberal Pope like Francis, it is quite natural to have some concerns when a new Pope takes leadership of 1.4 billion Catholics across the world. As the new Pope has not yet fully disclosed his plans for the Church, it is premature to comment on them. However, in his first address on the night of his election, he shared his vision of the papacy in just 500 words, outlining three priorities:
1.    Continue Pope Francis' synodal process to reform church structures to make them more inclusive and welcoming;
2.    Use his papacy to promote peace, both within the Church and in the world;
3.    Lead the Church to "build bridges with dialogue and encounter" with other Christians, followers of other faiths, and those with no faith at all.

Based on these three priorities of Pope Leo XIV, members of particular or national churches can express their expectations from the Pope, taking into account the context of each Church. Although Catholics in India constitute only a minuscule minority, the Indian Church is one of the most vibrant and diverse branches of the global Church. As a minority, the Church in India has been facing tough times for the past decade due to various internal and external challenges. The three priorities of Pope Leo XIV appear highly relevant to the Indian Church as well.

Building Peace and Harmony
The first priority of Pope Leo XIV — to build peace within the Church and in the world — is especially relevant to India. The country has just emerged from the threat of a serious war with Pakistan. According to some political observers and war experts, Operation Sindoor brought Pakistan and China together as a force against India. There is an urgent need to build peace with both Pakistan and China. As followers of Jesus, members of the Church must work for peace among nations.

Within India, too, there are conflicts based on religion, caste, and region. Due to the peculiar type of politics pursued by the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Indian society is deeply divided along religious lines. The relationship between the majority community and the minority Muslims and Christians is marked by growing mutual distrust, hatred, and even violence. Minorities increasingly feel excluded, insecure, and often denied the basic rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

In this context, building peace must become a top priority in all apostolates of the Church in India: education, healthcare, and social welfare activities. Promoting the core values of the Indian Constitution is an effective way to build peace and harmony.

A divided Church has no credibility as a peacebuilder. Pope Leo XIV must urge Indian Church leaders to settle conflicts based on caste, region, and rite through dialogue, not through authoritarian methods, which can sometimes be unchristian and inhuman. For example, the conflict within the Syro-Malabar Church over the method of offering Mass has become a great scandal — not only to Church members but also to people of other faiths. The leadership of the Church has failed miserably to resolve the long-standing liturgy-related conflicts within the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese amicably, leading to the weakening of a vibrant and dynamic Church. The mediation of Pope Leo XIV is urgently needed to halt this decline and scandal.

Pope Leo XIV may also motivate bishops, priests, and consecrated women and men involved in India's vast network of Catholic educational institutions to promote peace and harmony through the ministry of education. They are uniquely positioned to connect with thousands of students, teachers, and parents.

Building Bridges Among Religions in India
The second major priority of the Church in India should be building bridges among religious communities. Church leaders should be motivated and encouraged by the Pope to accept and appreciate India's pluralistic ethos and to respect all religions while firmly upholding the freedom of religion guaranteed by the country's secular and democratic Constitution.

After the Second Vatican Council, the Church in India took various initiatives to engage in dialogue with other religions, especially Hinduism. Gradually, however, these initiatives lost momentum. The growth of fundamentalism within religions — including within the Catholic Church in India — has thwarted interreligious dialogue. At a time when polarisation threatens harmony, the Indian Church expects Pope Leo XIV to be a global champion of interreligious engagement by:
1.    Recognising Indian theologians and practitioners of interreligious dialogue;
2.    Supporting joint peace-building initiatives;
3.    Encouraging grassroots dialogue in parishes, schools, and seminaries;
4.    Discouraging Church leaders who spread hatred and prejudice, including through films that incite hostility toward particular religious communities.

Support for Inculturation and Indian Theology
India is one of the most religiously and culturally diverse countries in the world. One reason the Church has not deeply taken root in India may be its failure to adapt to local culture and spiritual traditions — without compromising the core teachings of Jesus and essential aspects of the Catholic faith. It is expected that Pope Leo XIV will encourage theological creativity and cultural expressions of faith through:
1.    Affirmation of liturgical inculturation (e.g., use of Indian music, symbols, gestures);
2.    Encouragement of Indian theological voices in seminaries and pontifical academies;
3.    Clear guidelines balancing the core of faith with cultural integration;
4.    Discouragement of efforts to revert to outdated liturgical rites of the Middle Ages under the pretext of preserving tradition, which is out of sync with a scientific or pluralistic worldview.

Synodality and Decentralisation
Pope Francis introduced a bold vision of synodality — a Church that listens and walks together. To face the serious challenges confronting the Indian Church, a participatory approach is necessary — one that involves the active participation of all sections of the Church, including laity, priests, consecrated persons, and bishops, in decision-making and governance. Transparency and accountability are also areas needing significant improvement in Church governance in India.

Given India's vast and diverse landscape, a flexible ecclesial structure is essential. Synodality offers a framework for shared leadership and context-sensitive missions. Pope Leo XIV may encourage Indian Church leaders to embrace synodality through:
1.    Greater involvement of local churches in decision-making;
2.    More consultation with laypeople, women, and marginalised communities;
3.    Decentralisation of authority, enabling Indian bishops to respond effectively to local contexts.

Strengthening Women's Participation
Excluding women from Church governance structures has no justification. On May 22, Pope Leo XIV followed Pope Francis' precedent by elevating women to top-level positions in the Roman Curia, naming Sr. Tiziana Merletti, a canon lawyer, as secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Leaders of the Indian Church must learn from both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV and include women in Church administrative structures.

Women form the backbone of the Indian Church — in catechesis, healthcare, education, and spiritual life. However, they remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. A more inclusive Church would better reflect the equality and dignity inherent in the Gospel. Pope Leo XIV may encourage Indian bishops to:
1.    Promote women to leadership roles in local Church offices;
2.    Encourage theological education and pastoral training for women;
3.    Explore roles for women in liturgical and pastoral ministry in accordance with Church teachings;
4.    Discourage Church leaders from imposing roles on women that suggest subservience to men.

Empowering the Poor and Marginalised
The Church in India has long played a pivotal role in the social development of underprivileged communities through education, healthcare, and social welfare initiatives. However, opposition from right-wing Hindutva groups, with overt and covert support from the BJP government, has forced many dioceses and religious congregations in the Hindi heartland to shut down hostels and other social services for Tribal, Dalit, and Backward Caste children. Against this backdrop, Pope Leo XIV may:
1.    Emphasise social justice as integral to evangelisation;
2.    Speak out against caste-based discrimination both within and outside the Church;
3.    Promote leadership among Dalits, tribal communities, and women;
4.    Encourage bishops, priests, and religious to persevere in social ministries despite opposition and seek new alternatives.

India stands at the crossroads of modernity and tradition, diversity and majoritarian nationalism. There are vigorous efforts to turn a pluralistic, democratic country into a theocratic, authoritarian, and majoritarian state — a vision fundamentally opposed to the Reign of God and to the message of Jesus and the Church. At this juncture, the Church in India looks to its highest leader for guidance to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus and to the core values and provisions of the Indian Constitution.