Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday and extended an invitation for the pontiff to visit 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 said on Twitter.
Photos shared by Modi on Saturday showed the two embracing during what appeared to be a cordial meeting between both men.
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted that the two men “exchanged views on various issues, including climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“PM also extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India at an early date,” he added.
Bagchi mentioned that Modi also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
A communique by the Holy See Press issued on Saturday said only that “during a brief conversation, the cordial relations between the Holy See and India were discussed.”
Modi, who is attending the Group of 20 summit in Rome, met with the pontiff for about 55 minutes, The Associated Press reported. The wire service noted that the pope gave Modi a bronze medallion that had the words “The desert will become a garden” and a picture of a tree on it, in addition to a collection of some of his teachings.
Modi gave the Pope the book “The Climate Climb: India’s strategy, actions and achievements” and a candelabra.
Modi’s invitation for the Pope to visit India comes after the pontiff attempted to do so in 2017. Francis went to Myanmar and Bangladesh instead at the time because the negotiations between the two sides dragged on, the AP noted.
On Friday, Francis also met with President Biden for 90 minutes. A White House official characterized the meeting as “very warm when the delegation arrived in the room. There was laughter and clear rapport between President Biden and Pope Francis.”