Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, where Modi welcomed the head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit India, and also the two leaders discussed post-covid and climate change at a meeting that took place for an hour.
Reports from Rome stated the Pope accepted the invite, and also, if he does travel to India, it will certainly mark the initial papal visit after 1999 when the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM. The discussion and invitation are important as they come against the backdrop of a heated debate over conversions between the extreme right and church organisations in India and in the light of a number of BJP-governed states passing regulations hereof.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said, “During today’s meeting, the two leaders discussed the Covid-19 pandemic and also its consequences for people throughout the globe. They additionally discussed the difficulty postured by climate adjustment. Head of state oriented the Pope about the enthusiastic efforts taken by India in combating environment modification in addition to India’s success in administering one billion Covid-19 vaccination dosages.” Modi likewise expanded an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India”
Modi is often classified as a Hindu nationalist in the West, embracing Pope Francis is likely to have an effect that would certainly cool down inter-religion discord.
