ROME: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday invited Pope Francis to visit India when he summoned the Head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican in their one-to-one meeting.
At the Vatican, Modi was accompanied by the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar.
It was the first one-to-one meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church.
Modi is also the first Indian Prime Minister Francis has met since become a Pope in 2013.
The Prime Minister also met with Pietro Parolin Cardinal, Secretary of the Vatican City.
The first whale to visit India was Paul IV, who visited Mumbai in 1964.
Pope John Paul II visited India in February 1986 and November 1999.
The Minister of State for External Affairs V.
Muraleedharan in October 2019 met Pope Francis in Vatter.