Prime Minister Modi meets Pope Francis in Vatican library

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called on Pope Francis at the Vatican City during his two-day visit to Rome to attend the 16th G20 summit. The meeting between Pope Francis and Prime Minister Modi was held inside a private library in the Vatican, which is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Sources said that the meeting, which was initially scheduled for just 20 minutes went on for an hour. Sources further said Prime Minister Modi and the Pope discussed a wide range of issues aimed at making our planet better such as fighting climate change and removing poverty. Prime Minister Modi invited the Pope to visit India. 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. 

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had earlier stated that there was no agenda that had been set for the talks. Stating that as per tradition, one cannot have an agenda when meeting the Pope, Shiringla said that Prime Minister Modi and Pope Francis could touch upon the pressing global issues and share their perspectives on the same. Prime Minister Modi will also be meeting Vatican Secretary of State, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Earlier today, United States President Joe Biden too had called on Pope Francis. 

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Rome on Friday to attend the two-day G20 summit in Rome at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi. After arriving in Italy, the Prime Minister met European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He later visited the Piazza Gandhi where he paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He also met with the Indian community in Rome. 

The Prime Minister is also expected to have a series of bilateral meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. From Italy, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Glasgow where, at the invitation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he will be attending the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26)

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