Prime Minister Narendra Modi Invites Pope Francis to Visit India

By Verghese V Joseph –

Vatican: The Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Saturday invited His Holiness Pope Francis to visit India. The invitation was extended when the Holy Father Francis received Mr Modi at the Apostolic Palace. The meet between the two took place in Vatican at 12 noon and they also discussed a wide range of issues.

Subsequently in the Secretariat of State, the Indian Prime Minister greeted His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and His Excellency Mons. Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Pope comes just before his two-day G-20 summit in Rome, ahead of the COP26 climate summit at Glasgow in Scotland.

Soon after the meeting, Mr Modi tweeted the outcome of the meeting. He was accompanied by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar. The meeting was scheduled only for 20 minutes but went on for an hour.

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

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2021

In the course of a brief conversation, they focused on the cordial relations between the Holy See and India. The two leaders discussed the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences for people across the world. They also discussed the challenge posed by climate change. Prime Minister briefed the Pope about the ambitious initiatives taken by India in combating climate change as well as India’s success in administering one billion Covid-19 vaccination doses. His Holiness appreciated India’s assistance to countries in need during the pandemic.

PM Modi and the Pope discussed a wide range of issues aimed at making the planet better such as fighting climate change and removing poverty, sources said.

“It may be recalled that the last Papal Visit happened in 1999 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and Pope John Paul II came to India. Now it is during PM Modi’s Prime Ministerial term that the Pope has been invited to visit India,” sources said.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Rome for the G20 Summit at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Mr Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary of India in his media briefing said, After his meeting with His Holiness on a one-to-one basis, there could, after a certain period of time be followed up by delegation level talks. The Vatican has not set an agenda. I believe the tradition is not to have an agenda when you discuss issues with His Holiness. And I think we would respect that.”

The meeting assumes significance since it was only in January this year that the three Cardinals of the Catholic church — Oswald Gracias, George Alancherry and Baslios Cleemis – met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to invite Pope Francis to India.

The cardinals also told the PM that the Pope was keen to visit India. The last visit by a Pope to India was in 1999 when the late John II came to the country. That the Pope visited Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2017 and did not come to India, caused much heartburn in the community.