Modi invites Pope to India

Modi invites Pope to India

ROME: Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday asked Pope Francis to visit India, a significant opening towards the head of the Catholic Church who has long sought an official invitation to the Hindu-majority country. Modi, 71, invited Francis during a meeting at the Vatican on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome. “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 on Twitter after the talks.

The pope, 84, has been on record saying that he wants to visit India. The Vatican had even drafted a schedule for a papal trip several years ago, according to religious news website Crux. “Thank you very much for your visit. I’m happy, I’m very happy,” a smiling Francis said as he grasped Modi’s hand at the end of the visit, according to footage released by the Vatican. Modi replied: “I would like to see you in India.” Francis, leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, is hoping to push the defence of religious freedom in the world’s second most populous country.

Activists say that religious minorities in India have faced increased levels of discrimination