Pope Francis on Saturday invoked Kerala social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and recalled how he had dedicated his life to “social and religious uplift”.

The Pope was drawing attention to today’s troubled times, when intolerance and hatred are rampant, while addressing participants at the All Religious Conference at the Vatican commemorating the centenary of the first such conference organised by the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust (SNDST).

Seers from the Sivagiri Mutt, the headquarters of the SNDST, are learnt to have extended an invitation to the Pope to visit the mutt at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram when he is likely to visit India next year.

The Pope’s speech coincided with the centenary commemoration of the All Religious Conference at the Advaita Ashram in Aluva, Kerala, during Shivaratri on March 3-4, 1924.

Narayana Guru’s philosophy — one caste, one religion and one god — formed the foundation of his social revolution against the caste system.

The Pope emphasised that “as children of the one god, we must love and honour one another, respect diversity and differences in a spirit of fraternity and inclusion, and care for one another as well as for the Earth, our common home”.

“Sree Narayana Guru dedicated his life to promoting a social and religious awakening by his clear message that all human beings, regardless of their ethnicity or their religious and cultural traditions, are members of the single human family. He insisted that there should be no discrimination against anyone in any way and at any level. Failure to follow the noble teachings of religions is one of the causes responsible for the troubled situation in which our world finds itself today,” said Pope Francis.

A large contingent of faith leaders and representatives from various religious communities in Kerala and other parts of the country attended the event. Emphasising that the theme is “truly relevant and important for our times”, the Pope said that the world has been witnessing “increasing cases of intolerance and hatred among peoples and nations”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited the Pope to India during his visit to Italy in June for the G7 summit. It was the second time Modi had extended an invitation to the Pope.

In 2021, following Modi’s invitation, the Pope’s visit did not materialise allegedly because of incomplete procedures on the part of the external affairs ministry.

A source in the Catholic Church told The Telegraph that if the Pope visits India in 2025, he is likely to visit Kerala. The last Pope to visit India was John Paul II in 1999.