PM Modi recalls meeting Pope Francis, says his 'feelings for India are second to none'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, December 19, shared details of his meeting with Pope Francis in October, saying that the papal's feelings for India were 'second to none'. Addressing the Goa Liberation Day celebrations at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, PM Modi revealed that when he extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit India, the latter had called it the 'greatest gift' given to him. 

"I met Pope Francis some time back in Vatican City and his feelings for India are second to none. I invited him to visit India. He told me after the invite - 'This is the greatest gift you've given me'. It is his love for our diversity and vibrant democracy," PM Modi revealed. 

Earlier on Sunday, PM Modi inaugurated multiple developments on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day and felicitated freedom fighters of Operation Vijay undertaken by the Indian military to liberate the region. Goa is expected to go to polls in February 2022. 

Pope Francis hosts PM Modi in the Vatican City

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 30 held a warm meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican city on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. The meeting which was scheduled for just 20 minutes lasted for about an hour as the two indulged in conversations on a gamut of issues starting from poverty to climate change. Notably, this was Prime Minister Modi's first meeting with Pope Francis. 

During the meeting at the Apostolic Palace, PM Modi gifted Pope Francis a silver candle stand and a book on India's environmental commitment titled 'The Climate Climb'. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had told reporters that Pope Francis reciprocated his love with a bronze plaque which read-- "desert will become a garden." Shringla, in a press conference, said, "The last Pope visit to India was in 1999. The Pope has graciously accepted the invitation of PM Modi." 

The Pope had also emphasized cordial relations between the Vatican and India during his conversation with Prime Minister Modi, according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office. According to the statement, "Pope Francis received in audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi."