Prime Minister Narendra Modi Meets Pope Francis In Vatican, Invites The Pontiff To Visit India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is in Italy to attend the G20 Summit, met Pope Francis in Vatican City on Saturday.

PM Modi and the head of the Catholic Church had a lengthy meeting, in which the two leaders discussed several topics including the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenge posed by climate change.

Reuters

"Had a very warm meeting with Pope Francis. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him and also invited him to visit India,¡± PM Modi tweeted.

Had a very warm meeting with Pope Francis. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him and also invited him to visit India. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/QP0If1uJAC

¡ª Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2021

During their meeting, PM Modi gave the Pope a silver candelabra and a book, "The Climate Climb: India's strategy, actions, and achievements." The Pontiff gifted the Indian PM a collection of his main teaching documents and a bronze medallion featuring a tree and the words in Italian "The desert will become a garden."

AFP

This is the first meeting between PM Modi and the Pope who assumed office in 2013.

First PM-Pope meeting in two decades

This was also the first meeting between an Indian Prime Minister and the Pope in more than two decades.

In June 2000, late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had last visited the Vatican and met the then Pope, His Holiness John Paul II.

During their interaction, PM Modi extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India at an early date, which was accepted with pleasure.

AP

There have only been three Papal visits to India till now, and the last happened in 1999 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and Pope John Paul II came.

In 2017, there were reports of the Vatican reaching out to India for a Papal visit during his South Asia trip. However, after negotiations with the Indian government dragged on, the Pope instead went to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

AFP

Upon his return to Rome from that trip, Francis acknowledged he had wanted to go to India but that "procedures became protracted, and time was pressing."

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.