Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi meets Pope Francis, invites him to India

Modi meets Pope Francis, invites him to India

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he had a "very warm meeting" with Pope Francis and discussed a wide range of issues and also invited him to visit India at an early date.

Modi, who is the first Indian prime minister to meet Francis since he became Pope in 2013, also tweeted pictures of him embracing the head of the Roman Catholic church.


"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 tweeted after the historic meeting with the 84-year-old pontiff.

Pope Francis received Modi in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the ministry of external affairs said in a press release.

This was 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.

India and The Holy See have friendly relations dating back to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948.

India is home to nearly 18 million Catholics, the second-largest Catholic population in Asia.

During the meeting, 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, the release said.

Modi, who is in Italy to attend the G20 Summit, 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. The prime minister will also attend the Climate Summit to be held in Glasgow from Sunday (31).

His Holiness appreciated India's assistance to countries in need during the pandemic, the release said.

Modi extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India at an early date, which was accepted with pleasure, it said.

The meeting between Modi and the Pope that was scheduled only for 20 minutes went on for an hour, sources said.

They discussed a wide range of issues aimed at making the planet better by fighting climate change and removing poverty, the sources said.

At the Vatican, Modi was accompanied by national security advisor Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

According to the Vatican News, Modi gifted the Pope a specially-made silver candelabra and a book, ‘The Climate Climb: India's strategy, actions and achievements' during their meeting which lasted for an hour.

The Pope reciprocated with a bronze plaque with the inscription ‘The desert will become a garden’, volumes of papal documents, his message for World Day of Peace and the document on Human Fraternity, signed on February 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, it said.

(PTI)

More For You

starmer-zelensky

Keir Starmer welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street last week.

UK played a key role as Ukraine ready to accept ceasefire proposal: Report

THE UK played a key role in facilitating discussions between Ukraine and the US over a proposed ceasefire with Russia, according to a report.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed readiness for a 30-day ceasefire but stated that it is up to the US to persuade Russia to agree. Talks on the proposal took place in Saudi Arabia.

Keep ReadingShow less
pakistan train siege reuters

A passenger, who was rescued from a train after separatist militants attacked it, receives medical aid at the Mach Railway Station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 11, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Pakistan train siege: 155 hostages freed, 27 militants killed

PAKISTAN security forces launched a "full-scale" operation on Wednesday to rescue train passengers taken hostage by militants in the southwest, security sources said. Over the past 24 hours, 155 hostages have been freed.

The train, carrying more than 450 passengers, was seized at the entrance of a tunnel in a remote frontier district. An unknown number of hostages remain captive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle-Clifford-Reuters

Clifford had pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment, and two charges of possessing offensive weapons. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)

Crossbow killer sentenced to life for triple murder and rape

A FORMER soldier who murdered three women and raped one of them in an attack involving a crossbow and a knife has been sentenced to life in prison.

Kyle Clifford, 26, received a whole-life term for each of the murders of Carol Hunt, 61, wife of BBC sports commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.

Keep ReadingShow less
 electricity-pylons-iStock

From 2026, households within 500 metres of new or upgraded electricity infrastructure will receive bill reductions of up to £2,500 over 10 years. (Representational image: iStock)

Residents near new electricity pylons to get bill reductions

THE GOVERNMENT announced on Monday that households living near new electricity pylons will receive discounts on their energy bills.

The move is part of efforts to expand electricity infrastructure, despite opposition to large-scale projects needed to connect renewable energy to the grid.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump had said the US has been economically and financially 'ripped off' by several countries, including India. (Photo: Getty Images)

India denies pledge to lower tariffs following Trump’s statement

INDIA has said it has not committed to reducing import duties on US goods, following US president Donald Trump’s claim that New Delhi had agreed to "cut their tariffs way down."

Trump, in the early weeks of his second term, has taken a tough stance on global trade, imposing tariffs on several countries, including India, and accusing trading partners of unfair practices.

Keep ReadingShow less