Panaji, Oct 16 (IANS): The Goa Church will lobby with the Sri Lankan Catholic Church authorities to organise a meeting for 1,000 Goans with Pope Francis, who will visit the country in January next year for the canonisation of Blessed Father Joseph Vaz.

Vaz, the country's first saint, was incidentally of the Goan origin.

After the sainthood is conferred on Vaz, special prayer services would be held in Goa, especially in the parish church of Sancoale where Vaz grew up in the 17th century, Father Eremito Rebello, vice-postulator for the cause of canonsiation of Blessed Joseph Vaz, told IANS Thursday.

"The Pope's itinerary is packed, but our (Goa) archbishop will get in touch with Cardinal Ranjith from Sri Lanka and request him to allow 1,000 Goans to meet the Pope. Ranjith is the head of the committee which is overseeing preparations for the Catholic head's visit," Rebello said.

He said the Goa Church had received confirmation from around 1,000 Goans who will head for Sri Lanka to witness the canonisation process.

The Goa government is in the process of requesting the central government to start a direct flight between Goa and Sri Lanka anticipating the rush. Vaz's followers from Sri Lanka are also expected to travel to Goa, to witness the land where their soon-to-be-saint grew up.

Goa has a 26 percent of Catholic population and was one of the early south Asian regions to have embraced the religion after being colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Vaz was born in Benaulim village, located 40 km from Panaji.

Vaz grew up in Sancoale, and became a Roman Catholic priest before heading to Sri Lanka, where he worked often under disguise under the Calvinist, a Protestant group's rule.

"We are also holding special services in honour of Vaz in Sancoale, once the canonization is complete," Rebello said.

Once canonized, Vaz will be Sri Lanka's first saint and third ethnic Indian saint.