Pope accepts PM’s invite to visit India

Modi was the first Indian prime minister to meet Pope Francis since he became head of the Catholic Church in 2013.

Updated on: Oct 30, 2021, 23:52:14 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pope Francis discussed a wide range of global issues, including the Covid-19 crisis, fighting climate change and alleviating poverty, during their maiden meeting at the Vatican City. In a tweet, PM Modi described the meeting “warm” and said he invited the Pope to India. The meeting was scheduled to last only 20 minutes, but went on for an hour, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Modi and the Pope discussed a range of issues “aimed at making the planet better”, such as climate change and poverty.

PM Modi briefed the Pope about The Pope appreciated India’s assistance to countries in need during the pandemic, the ministry said. (AFP)

Modi was the first Indian prime minister to meet Pope Francis since he became head of the Catholic Church in 2013. It was also the first meeting between an Indian prime minister and a pope since June 2000, when late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the Vatican and met Pope John Paul II.

Modi was accompanied to the Vatican by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

“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,” Modi said in his tweet. The external affairs ministry said the Pope granted Modi a private audience at the Apostolic Palace, and the two leaders discussed the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences for people around the world.

They also discussed the challenge posed by climate crisis. Modi briefed the Pope about The Pope appreciated India’s assistance to countries in need during the pandemic, the ministry said. The Pope also accepted Modi’s invitation to visit India. A statement from the Vatican said: “During a brief conversation, the cordial relations between the Holy See and India were discussed.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More