It is a comforting touch that an aggrieved Christian community needs desperately after a year when they have suffered a sharp increase in attacks, both physical and psychological, for practicing their faith.

But perhaps even more urgently, it is a healing influence which the Church hopes will cool hotheads in the majority community. At a time when murderous assaults on priests, attacks on churches and schools run by Christian missionaries have shown a rise, the Church authorities are hoping that the papal visit will calm the misplaced apprehensions of the Hindutva forces.

``The Pope's message will be one of forgiveness and peace. We don't agree with the method or the ideology of those who attack us. But they are children of God so we love them as our own,'' Archbishop Alan de Lastic told The Indian Express.

The Pope's visit to India hashappened almost by fluke. The Vatican was planning to hold the millennium-eve Synod of Bishops of Asia meeting in Hong Kong, when the proposal was shot down by the Chinese authorities.

India was the next best choice, and a beleaguered BJP government, under a cloud for the increasing attacks on minorities, agreed to the proposal for a Papal visit with alacrity. Preparations by the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate the millennium anniversary of the birth of Christ began nearly five years ago, says de Lastic.

The millennium anniversary is also a time for stocktaking, of reviewing and renewing the mission and message of the Church. As part of the preparations for the countdown, the Pope organised discussions with bishops and representatives of different Catholic churches in the five continents to chalk out region-specific proposals on the way ahead for the Church. Each continent then prepared a draft document, which they submitted to the Vatican.

In April this year, a special assembly of the Synod ofBishops for Asia met in the Vatican to discuss the direction the Church will take in promoting Christianity in Asia.

The recommendations of this meeting are what have crystallised into a document to be initialed by the Pope in New Delhi.