Pope Paul VI used to visit the Heads of Churches of each country he visited. On his visit to India to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, the Pope expressed his wish to exchange greetings with the Supreme Head of the Malankara Orthodox Syriac Church, Augen I Catholicos. Owing to his tight schedule, the Pope was unable to travel from Bombay to Kerala and asked the Catholicos whether it would be convenient for the Catholicos to visit him at Bombay.