India, Oct. 4 -- For only the second time after sixteen years, the Vatican is sending a senior emissary to Mumbai to join a unique interfaith gathering on Saturday, underscoring the city's role as a crossroads of cultures and religions.

Titled Pilgrims of Hope - Religions Journeying for Peace, the closed-door event will bring together leaders from across India's diverse faith traditions to mark two milestones-the Jubilee Year of Christ in 2025 and the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Both occasions celebrate themes of renewal, fraternity, and peace-values that resonate far beyond the boundaries of Christianity.

The chief guest will be Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. His visit...