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PM Modi lauds Pope Francis’ commitment to serve people, invites him to visit India

Saturday, 15 Jun 2024

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PM Modi embracing Pope Francis. - The Statesman/ANN

NEW DELHI: Admiring his commitment to serve people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (June 14) extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India at an early date.

“Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better.

"Also invited him to visit India,” the Prime Minister posted on X after meeting the Pope at the G7 Summit’s Outreach Session in Borgo Egnazia, Italy.

As he entered the meeting venue and met the world leaders, the Pope was greeted with a hug from PM Modi.

In October 2021, the Pope received PM Modi during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, which 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, John Paul II.

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

India is also home to the second-largest Catholic population in Asia. - The Statesman/ANN

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Pope Francis agrees to make first papal visit to India since 1999

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Additional reporting by Euan Rocha in New Delhi; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Helen Popper

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Pope receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Vatican News

Pope Francis on Saturday received in the Vatican Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first-ever meeting between the two leaders.  After holding talks with the Pope, Modi was received by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

“During a brief conversation, the cordial relations between the Holy See and India were discussed,” said a brief note by the Holy See Press office soon after the visit.

Modi’s Vatican visit lasted nearly an hour.  The Indian Prime Minister gifted the Pope a silver candlestick and a book on the commitment to the environment.  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 of 2019 in Abu Dhabi by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.

Modi’s first visit to the Vatican

The prime minister leads the government that is headed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed in 1980.  In office since 2014 and reconfirmed after winning the 2019 elections within the "National Democratic Alliance" coalition, this is Modi’s first visit to the Vatican.   

In fact, in September 2016, on the occasion of the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the official Indian delegation led by the late former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, was received by Pope Francis. 

Modi is in Rome for the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit, October 30-31, before he flies to Glasgow, Scotland, for the 26 th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), October 31 to November 12.

The last time that an Indian Prime Minister and a Pontiff met in the Vatican was more than 20 years ago.  Late Pope John Paul II, now a Saint, had received in audience late former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also a BJP member, on June 26, 2000.

The commitment of the Catholic Church in India

In a context of growing anti-Christian violence in India, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has always sought dialogue with the government for the good of the country. 

In January, Cardinals Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, and Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, had a meeting with Modi to illustrate the work carried out by the Church in India in the educational, health and social fields. 

They also highlighted the effort of Christians in combatting the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring their commitment in favour of the poorest and most vulnerable, which the Indian Prime Minister appreciated. 

Other issues touched on during that meeting were the situation of religious minorities in a country where Christians make up just 2.3% of the population, and the release of Father Stan Swamy, the elderly Jesuit priest and activist for the rights of indigenous peoples, who was imprisoned for nine months on terrorism charges and died in July.

Modi's invitation to visit India

In his comments on Saturday’s meeting with Pope Francis, Prime Minister Modi said he has invited the Pontiff to India.  “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 has reportedly written in a post on his Twitter handle after the meeting.  However, the Vatican has not made any comment or declaration regarding the invitation.

The request for a papal visit to India has already been advanced in 2017, in view of the Pope's apostolic journey to neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2018, but it was not possible to follow up. 

So far, two Pontiffs have visited India.  Saint Pope Paul VI was the first Pontiff to visit India in December 1964, on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, today Mumbai.  Saint Pope John Paul II made it twice to India: in February 1986 and in November 1999.

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Modi will send invitation to Pope Francis to visit India: Bishop’s body

Cbci president archbishop andrews thazhath, who met pm modi to convey christmas greetings on behalf of the catholic church, said he repeated the request of former cbci president to invite pope francis to india..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will send an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India, a Bishop’s body said on Wednesday.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, who met the Prime Minister to convey to him the Christmas greetings on behalf of the Catholic church, said he repeated the request of former CBCI president, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, to invite Pope Francis to India.

PM Modi took the archbishop’s request into consideration. “PM had already invited Pope Francis to India and had reiterated to him again personally when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 31, 2021. The PM said that he would continue to invite Pope Francis and try to bring him to India,” a CBCI release stated.

During the brief meeting, PM Modi also promised Archbishop Thazhath that he would continue to support the minorities even as the CBCI requested him to address the plight of the Christians.

Last year, the Prime Minister had met Pope Francis in the Vatican and tweeted pictures of him embracing the head of the Roman Catholic church.

– with inputs from PTI

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PM Modi Embraces Pope Francis At G7 Summit, Invites Him To Visit India: ‘I Admire His Commitment To Serve People’

Pm modi met pope francis on the sidelines of the g7 summit in italy and invited him to india..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is presently in Italy to attend the 'Outreach session' at the G7 Summit in Apulia, met Pope Francis on the summit's sidelines. PM Modi also invited the Pope to visit India. After the meeting, the PM also praised the Pope saying that he "admires his commitment to serve people and make our planet better."

In the visuals of their meeting, PM Modi and Pope Francis can be seen embracing and greeting each other with warmth.

VIDEO | PM Modi greets Pope Francis at the G7 Summit, being held in Apulia, Italy. Francis will address G7 leaders on Friday at their annual gathering in southern Italy — a first for a pope. pic.twitter.com/UgCBiA0zL7 — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 14, 2024

#WATCH | Apulia, Italy: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy pic.twitter.com/gw0wFWju44 — ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2024

Sharing about his meeting with the Pope, PM Modi posted on X: "Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India."

Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the @G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/BeIPkdRpUD — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2024

On the sidelines the G7 Summit, Pope Francis delivered a speech on AI and also held a series of bilateral meetings with various world leaders, who reached Italy to participate in the summit.

ALSO READ| G7 Summit: PM Modi Highlights India's National AI Strategy Initiative, Calls For Collective Efforts To Usher In 'Green Era'

The 83-year-old Pope met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden, and French President Emmanuel Macron. 

In his AI speech, Pope Francis challenged the leaders of the world's wealthy democracies to prioritise human dignity in the process of development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).

He also warned that the powerful technology reduces human relations to mere algorithms.

Pope Francis was invited by Italy, which is the G7 Summit 2024 host, to address a special session on AI. This made him the first pope to ever attend the G7.

ALSO READ| G7 Summit: Pope Francis Urges Control Over AI Programs, Stresses 'Human Dignity Depends On It'

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PM Modi will again send invitation to Pope Francis to visit India: Bishop's body

Catholic bishops' conference of india (cbci) president archbishop andrews thazhath, who met the prime minister to convey to him the christmas greetings on behalf of the catholic church, said he repeated the request of former cbci president to invite pope francis to india..

Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, who met the Prime Minister to convey to him the Christmas greetings on behalf of the Catholic church, said he repeated the request of former CBCI president, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, to invite Pope Francis to India. CBCI is the apex body of Catholic Bishops' in the country.

"PM replied to him saying that he had already invited Pope Francis to India and had reiterated to him again personally when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 31, 2021. The PM said that he would continue to invite Pope Francis and try to bring him to India,'' a CBCI release said.

Last year, the Prime Minister had met Pope Francis in the Vatican and 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 had tweeted after the historic meeting with the Pontiff. 

ALSO READ:   Pope apologizes for ‘catastrophic’ school policy in Canada

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PM Modi hugs Pope Francis, invites him to visit India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that he admired Pope Francis’ commitment to serving the people read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, met Pope Francis with a warm embrace at the Outreach session of the G7 Summit in Italy’s Apulia. PM Modi invited the Pope to visit India.

The Indian Prime Minister also said that he admired the pontiff’s commitment to serving the people.

“Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the @G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/BeIPkdRpUD — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2024

PM Modi was also seen in a light-hearted exchange with the 87-year-old head of the worldwide Catholic Church, who was taken around the table in a wheelchair to greet each of the world leaders gathered at the summit venue of Borgo Egnazia.

PM Modi and his party, BJP, have made several overtures to the Christian community before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In his address at the Outreach session on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean, the Pope said: “It is up to each of us to make good use of AI.”

The Outreach session was attended by the participants of the G7 and other leaders of the Global South invited by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in her capacity as president of this year’s summit.

She greeted the “Holy Father” and then joined him as he greeted leaders with handshakes including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

PM Modi met Pope Francis during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican in October 2021.

At the time, the two leaders discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences for people across the world. They also discussed the challenges posed by climate change.

PM Modi briefed the Pope about the ambitious initiatives taken by India in combating climate change as well as the country’s success in administering one billion Covid-19 vaccination doses. The Pope is said to have appreciated India’s assistance to countries in need during the pandemic.

With inputs from PTI

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Pope Francis To Visit India Next Year

While addressing the presser, the he said, "i think india will be next, next year. on 29 september i will go to marseilles, and there is the possibility that i will fly to mongolia from marseilles, but it has not yet been decided. it's possible. i don't recall another one this year. lisbon.".

Pope Francis outlined his upcoming travel schedule during his flight back to Rome from South Sudan.

Pope Francis yesterday said that he is planning to visit India next year and is also expected to take a trip to Mongolia later in 2023, as per Vatican News.

While addressing the presser, the Pope said, "I think India will be next, next year. On 29 September I will go to Marseilles, and there is the possibility that I will fly to Mongolia from Marseilles, but it has not yet been decided. It's possible. I don't recall another one this year. Lisbon."

Founded by Pope Francis, Vatican News is a Catholic news website to provide multimedia pertaining to the global Catholic Church and the operations of the Holy See.

While answering a query about whether he is expanding the circle of his trip, the supreme pontiff of the Roman catholic church said, "I chose to visit the smallest countries in Europe. People will say, 'But he went to France,' no, I went to Strasbourg; I will go to Marseilles, not to France. The little ones, the little ones. [The criterion is] to get to know a little about hidden Europe, that part of Europe with so much culture but is not known. Accompany countries, for example, Albania, which was the first one, and is the country that suffered the cruellest, the cruellest dictatorship in history. Then, my choice is this: try not to fall into the globalization of indifference," Vatican News reported.

On Friday, Pope Francis reached South Sudan, fulfilling a long-time wish to visit the war-ravaged country, currently in the midst of a major humanitarian emergency, reported CNN.

In the first, the Pope is undertaking the trip together with the head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, represents the three Christian churches that make up the majority of the population in South Sudan.

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In April 2019, the Pope held a spiritual retreat at the Vatican for political and religious leaders in South Sudan, and in an unprecedented gesture he knelt down and kissed the feet of President Kir and Vice-President Machar, reported CNN.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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PM Modi invited Pope to India, hope his visit itinerary includes Goa: CM Sawant

PM Modi met Pope Francis on Friday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has expressed hope that when Pope Francis visits India as invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his visit itinerary will include the coastal state.

“Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji met HH Pope Francis @Pontifex on the sidelines of G7 Summit in Italy. Hon’ble PM admired his commitment to serve the people and extended an invitation to the Pope to visit Bharat, and we hope the visit includes Goa,” Sawant said on X.

Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji met HH Pope Francis @Pontifex on the sidelines of G7 Summit in Italy. Hon'ble PM admired his commitment to serve the people and extended an invitation to Pope to visit Bharat, and we hope the visit includes Goa. pic.twitter.com/PVIHXx0GJr — Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) June 14, 2024

A few months back, Sawant had said that the state government would be inviting Pope Francis for the decennial exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa, scheduled to be held during later part of the year.

Christians constitute around 27 per cent of Goa’s total population.

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Modi meets Pope Francis at G7 session; invites him to visit India

BARI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday invited Pope Francis to visit India and said he admired the pontiff's commitment to serving the people.

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PM Modi praises Pope Francis' dedication, extends invitation to visit India

14 june 2024, 09:52 pm ist.

Narendra Modi with Pope Francis | Photo: X|Narendra Modi

Apulia (Italy): Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Pope Francis to visit India as soon as possible on Friday, praising his dedication to helping people.

"Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better. Also invited him to visit India," the Prime Minister posted on X after meeting the Pope at the G7 Summit's Outreach Session in Borgo Egnazia.

As he entered the meeting venue and met the world leaders, the Pope was greeted with a hug from PM Modi.

The first private audience between an Indian prime minister and the Pope in over 20 years took place in October 2021 in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, where PM Modi was hosted.

The last time the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the Vatican and saw Pope John Paul II was in June 2000.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948, India and the Holy See have maintained amicable relations. The second-largest Catholic population in Asia resides in India.

India and The Holy See have friendly relations dating back to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948. India is also home to the second-largest Catholic population in Asia. IANS

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Which countries will Pope Francis visit in 2022?

By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Jan 5, 2022 / 13:00 pm

As the new year begins amid a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in many parts of the world, Pope Francis has no official international trips confirmed for 2022. But he has expressed an interest in visiting several countries in the new year.

At the age of 85, however, it is unlikely that the pope will resume the grueling travel schedule that characterized his pre-pandemic papacy.

Pope Francis has already traveled to more than 50 countries during his almost nine-year pontificate, 11 of which he visited in 2019.

After the outbreak of COVID-19 put his papal travel schedule on hold for more than a year, Francis made history as the first pope to visit Iraq when he resumed international travel in March 2021.

This was followed by apostolic journeys to Greece , Cyprus , Slovakia , and Budapest for the International Eucharistic Congress.

However, there are still some canceled papal trips originally planned for 2020 that could be rescheduled for this year.

The following are places Pope Francis has expressed interest in visiting at some point during his pontificate.

The Vatican announced last fall that Pope Francis is willing to visit Canada as part of the local Catholic bishops’ “pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”

This potential papal trip to North America will likely occur sometime after the pope receives a delegation of Indigenous leaders from Canada at the Vatican. Their visit was originally scheduled for December 2021 but rescheduled for “the earliest opportunity in 2022” due to concerns about the omicron variant.

Papua New Guinea and East Timor

In an interview with Télam, Argentina’s national news agency, published last October, Pope Francis said that he would like to make trips to Papua New Guinea and East Timor, which had been planned for late 2020 before they were canceled because of the pandemic.

The canceled 2020 trip (never confirmed by the Vatican) was also expected to include a visit to Indonesia. Vatican sources have told ACI Stampa , CNA’s Italian-language news partner, that a papal stop in Singapore could also be added on to the Oceania trip.

Both Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki, the Latin Rite archbishop of Lviv, western Ukraine, have made it known that the pope promised them a visit in 2022.

Nothing has been confirmed, but the trip could take place in May, according to ACI Stampa. Shevchuk said in December that “this has not yet been announced, but we are already living in anticipation and preparation.”

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At general audience, Pope Francis explains the correct use of Christian freedom

On his return flight from Iraq, Pope Francis reaffirmed his desire to visit Lebanon. A few months later, a Vatican official said that the pope intended to travel to Lebanon once it successfully formed a government.

The formation of a Lebanese government last September after 13 months of political stalemate therefore paved the way for a potential papal visit. Pope Francis met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the new leader of the country in crisis, on Nov. 25, but no further details about a papal trip to the country have been released yet.

Pope Francis has repeatedly said that he plans to go back to Hungary after his visit to Budapest in 2021 lasted for only seven hours.

The apostolic journey to Hungary is expected to take place in September, according to ACI Stampa, which has reported that the pope has already told the abbot of Pannonhalma Archabbey that he intends to visit the 1,000-year-old Benedictine abbey.

Hungary could also serve as a potential neutral meeting point for a papal meeting with Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, ACI Stampa reported.

(Story continues below)

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Kazakhstan is another country that could serve as a location for the second meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. There is already an interreligious meeting scheduled to take place on Sept. 14-15, 2022. The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, in which Kirill is expected to participate, will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan.

The ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Holy See told EWTN in 2020 that there were “high hopes” that Pope Francis would visit Kazakhstan to take part in the interreligious congress.

The pope could visit Santiago de Compostela as the Spanish pilgrimage site, the end of the famed Camino de Santiago, continues to celebrate a Holy Year throughout 2022. Benedict XVI visited Santiago de Compostela during its last Holy Year in 2010.

Archbishop Julián Barrio Barrio of Santiago de Compostela told journalists in December that he believes that “the pope is interested in coming to Santiago,” but it may not be possible due to the pandemic, according to Rome Reports .

The Vatican had announced in February 2020 that Pope Francis would visit Malta for the feast of Pentecost before the Mediterranean island nation went into lockdown and the trip was canceled. The visit could be rescheduled for sometime after Easter, according to ACI Stampa.

A papal trip to the Balkan country of Montenegro was also planned for 2020 and canceled. The Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović traveled to the Vatican and reinvited the pope to visit Montenegro at the end of the general audience on Dec. 29.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pope Francis said in an interview published this fall that he hoped to visit the Congo in 2022. He told Télam in October: “For the moment I have in my mind two trips that I have not started yet, and those are the Congo and Hungary.”

This would be the pope’s first visit to the African continent since 2019. According to ACI Stampa, the potential trip to the DRC could be a stop during a long-awaited papal trip to neighboring South Sudan, which has been postponed repeatedly due to security concerns.

The only officially confirmed papal trip for 2022 so far is that Pope Francis will travel north to the Italian city of Florence on Feb. 27 to speak at a meeting of bishops and mayors of the Mediterranean region.

Given the pope’s age and ongoing pandemic situation, perhaps there will be more shorter trips like this in the new year.

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Why Pope’s 2024 Visit to India Could be a Possibility?

Verghese V Joseph –

Pope Francis is likely to visit India next year. The Holy Father informed this on Sunday during his flight back to Rome from South Sudan.

This lends further credence as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Secretary Rituraj Sinha, after the party announced the names of its candidates on Thursday for Assembly elections in Meghalaya said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent out an invite to Pope Francis to visit India.”

“It was during Atal Bihari’s prime ministership that Pope John Paul II visited India. Last month, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Shillong he said that he has requested Pope Francis to visit India,” added Sinha.

The Holy Father had expressed his desire to visit India in 2017, however, that did not materialise.

In the northeast, the BJP-governed Tripura will go to polls on February 16, while Meghalaya goes to polls on February 27 along with Nagaland. Meghalaya has over 75 percent Christian population.

India’s only Catholic Chief Minister Conrad Kongkal Sangma is the current Chief Minister of Meghalaya. The BJP is a minority coalition partner with Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP). In 2018, it won two-seat securing 9.6 percent of the votes cast.

Meghalaya has a legacy of political instability with constant changing of parties by the MLAs. According to the latest count, the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government had 33 seats — NPP 20, the United Democratic Party (UDP) 8, BJP 3 and the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) 2. In the opposition, the TMC has 8 seats and 19 seats are vacant. The BJP has decided to go solo and is contesting in all 60 assembly seats for the Meghalaya Election 2023. A papal visit announcement might just help the party get the required favourable swing.

Altogether nine states — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Mizoram — besides Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland will poll before the 2024 general election and four — Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim — around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek another mandate.

A papal visit can bestow an edge on his leadership, especially when India is heading into national elections in 2024, and can help the ruling party reap rich electoral harvest.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2021, he extended an invitation to visit India, which the pontiff accepted in principle. Mr. Modi’s meeting with the Pope came 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. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar accompanied him. The meeting was scheduled only for 20 minutes but went on for an hour.

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In Photos PM Modi meets Pope Francis at G7 summit 2024 invites him to visit India

Posted: 15 June 2024 | Last updated: 15 June 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday invited Pope Francis to visit India and said he admired the pontiff`s commitment to serving the people (Pics/PTI and AFP)

They met with a warm embrace at the Outreach session of the G7 summit 2024 in Apulia southern Italy where they joined other world leaders to deliberate on the topic of Artificial Intelligence Energy Africa and the Mediterranean

Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better Also invited him to visit India Modi said in a post on X

Modi and the BJP have made several overtures to the Christian community before the general elections in the country

Modi was seen in a lighthearted exchange with the 87yearold head of the worldwide Catholic Church who was taken around the table in a wheelchair to greet each of the world leaders gathered at the summit venue of Borgo Egnazia

It is up to each of us to make good use of AI the Pope said in his address at the Outreach session on the topic of Artificial Intelligence Energy Africa and the Mediterranean attended by the participants of the G7 and other leaders of the Global South invited by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in her capacity as president of this years summit

She greeted the Holy Father and then joined the wheelchairbound octogenarian as he greeted leaders with handshakes including US President Joe Biden British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron among others

The Prime Minister met Pope Francis during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican in October 2021

At the time the two leaders discussed the COVID19 pandemic and its consequences for people across the world They also discussed the challenges posed by climate change

The Prime Minister briefed the Pope about the ambitious initiatives taken by India in combating climate change as well as Indias success in administering one billion Covid19 vaccination doses His Holiness is said to have appreciated Indias assistance to countries in need during the pandemic

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Pope Francis’s India Visit: Strengthening of India-Vatican Relations

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Yesterday, Pope Francis global religious leader of the Roman Catholic faith said that he is planning to visit India in 2024 and is also expected to take a trip to Mongolia later in 2023, as per Vatican News.

The Pontiff outlined his upcoming travel schedule during his flight back to Rome from South Sudan. While addressing the press, the Pope said, “I think India will be next, next year. On 29 September I will go to Marseilles, and there is the possibility that I will fly to Mongolia from Marseilles, but it has not yet been decided. It’s possible. I don’t recall another one this year. Lisbon.”

GoaChronicle.com has learned from its desk in Rome that Pope Francis has been keen to visit India for some time now. The invitation extended by Prime Minister Modi has rekindled in him the desire to visit India and meet with people not only of the Catholic faith but other Christian denominations and other religious faith.

Last year, Pope Francis accepted an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit, in a turnaround in relations with the Vatican following the failure of negotiations for a papal trip in 2017. “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 had expressed on Twitter.

During the meeting at the Holy See, 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 Modi also 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.

In fact, while addressing a gathering in Goa on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the State’s Liberation on December 19, 1961, Modi revealed to the people: “I was in Italy and Vatican City some time back. I got the opportunity to meet Pope Francis. I have invited him to India and I want to tell you what he said after my invitation. Pope Francis said – This is the greatest gift you have given me.”

Narendra Modi is the fifth Indian Prime Minister to have visited the Pope. Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Vatican in July 1955 when Pope Pius XII was the sovereign. Indira Gandhi visited the Vatican and met Pope John Paul II in 1981. IK Gujral meet Pope John II in 1997. Atal Bihari Vajpayee met Pope John Paul II in 2000 while on his visit to Italy.

On the Modi-Pope Francis meeting, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), on October 30, said, “Inviting Pope Francis to India was a historic decision and this will raise the stature of the country among the nations of the world. His visit will help to strengthen the diplomatic relation between both countries. It will also help to nurture the relationship between various sects of Christianity and other religions.”

The last pope to visit India was John Paul II, who went to New Delhi in 1999 to issue a papal document on the Church in Asia.

The Vatican has always acknowledged the importance of India, both in global and Asian terms. India is home to the second-largest Catholic population in Asia.

There have been three Papal visits to India so far: The first Pope to visit India was Pope Paul VI, who visited Mumbai in 1964 to attend the International Eucharistic Congress. Pope John Paul II visited India in February 1986 during which he visited different parts of India, including Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, and met with the Indian leadership. Pope John Paul II again visited India on a State Visit from 5-7 November 1999. He met with then President K.R. Narayanan, Vice President Krishan Kant, and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. During the visit, he presided over the concluding celebrations of the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops of Asia and he signed and released the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. New Delhi was specially chosen by the Pope to hold this Special Concluding celebration.

Christianity is also India’s third-largest religion with its followers constituting over 2.3 percent of India’s population. There are over 20 million Catholics in India, representing around 1.55% of the total population, and the Catholic Church is the single largest Christian church in India. There are reportedly 10,701 parishes that form a part of the 174 dioceses and eparchies, which are organized into 29 ecclesiastical provinces.

India and Vatican have been working together to strengthen their relations. Narendra Modi’s visit to the Vatican in 2022 and the anticipated Pope’s visit to India are being seen as strong efforts by the Indian government, Catholic Bishops in India, and representatives of the Holy See to build strong bridges of communication and cementing of India-Vatican cooperation on global issues.

Both Pope Francis and Narendra Modi are global leaders of repute and high significance in the realm of geopolitics. Pope Francis is seen as the leader of the Catholic faith, and Narendra Modi is seen as the leader of India which is home to the Sanatan Dharma faith.

There is no doubt that both leaders carry the burden of walking the fine line to balance the Catholic and Hindu religious relations in both nations as well as social, political, and economical bilateral relations.

Pope Francis would want to protect the interests of the Christian faith in India and Prime Minister Modi would like to assure Pope Francis that the Christian faith is not in danger in India because India is a secular nation.

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