News Analysis India

Tag: Pope Francis

  • Naveen Patnaik gets privilege denied to Mamata, may meet Pope in Vatican

    Express News Service

    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to become India’s first chief minister to meet the Pope, head of Catholic Christians around the world.

    Patnaik is set to embark on a week-long foreign tour in the last week of this month. His first stop will be Dubai, where he is scheduled to attend an investors’ meet. From Dubai, he would proceed to Rome in Italy to meet some more potential investors.

    Sources said efforts are being made to facilitate the chief minister’s meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican City during his visit to Italy.

    This is Patnaik’s first international visit in the last 10 years and the second since he took over as the chief minister of the state. It is reliably learnt that the chief minister’s office has received all clearances from the central government for his foreign trip.

    The Union government had last year denied permission to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to attend a World Peace Conference in Rome. The conference was to be attended by Pope Francis, among others.

    The Centre’s denial of permission to Banerjee had led to a vitriolic attack on the government by the Trinamool Congress Party which accused the Centre of playing “vindictive politics”. Questioning the Centre, Banerjee said, “How many places will you (Centre) not let me visit? You can’t stop me forever.”

    The government, while denying the permission, said that the “event is not commensurate in status for participation by the chief minister of a state”.

    Sources said that the Centre cleared Patnaik’s trip without much ado as the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP may need the support of Odisha chief minister’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the Presidential election scheduled for next month. It is learnt that BJD has a sizable presence in the Presidential electoral college.

    Patnaik had to cut short his trip to London in 2012 as his trusted lieutenant Pyarimohan Mahapatra had tried to rally the support of BJD MLAs and overthrow the chief minister in his absence. Patnaik managed to put down the revolt. But he has not left the country since then.

  • G20 Summit: PM Modi departs from Vatican City after his meeting with Pope Francis

    By ANI

    ROME: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed from the Vatican City after his meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit.

    PM Modi was accompanied by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar.

    The Vatican is a city-state surrounded by Rome and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

    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. @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/QP0If1uJAC
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2021
    Prime Minister arrived in Italy on Friday to participate in the two-day G20 Summit. This summit will be the eighth G20 Summit attended by the Prime Minister.

    PM Modi will participate in the G20 opening session on Global Economy and Global Health.

    He is also scheduled to have a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and a meeting with the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo. PM Modi is expected to have a meeting with Singapore PM Lee Hosein Loong as well.

    In the evening, PM is scheduled to arrive at Terme di Diocleziano for a cultural programme. Later, there is a dinner planned for G20 leaders and partner countries.

    While briefing about the Prime Minister’s engagements in Italy, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that PM Modi will discuss the global economic situation, COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable development and climate change with G20 leaders.

    On Friday, PM Modi met with top European Union leaders and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. They congratulated Prime Minister Modi for India’s excellent progress on the COVID-19 vaccination.

    Prime Minister also interacted with members of the Indian community-based in Italy and those who have a close association with India through spheres like academics.

    PM Modi will be in the capital city of Italy till October 31.

  • PM Modi will meet Pope Francis on October 30, says Church

    By PTI

    KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Pope Francis on October 30 during his European visit commencing later this week, a Catholic Bishops’ body in Kerala said on Wednesday.

    In a statement, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) President Cardinal George Alencherry said they have come to know from official sources that the “meeting between His Holiness Pope Francis and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will take place on Saturday, October 30”.

    Describing it as a “historic meeting, the Cardinal said it will “add more energy and warmth to the relations between our country and the Vatican and the Catholic Church”. He also wished “all success” to the Prime Minister for all his events in Rome and Italy.

    Modi will be travelling to Rome and Glasgow from October 29 to November 2 to attend the 16th G-20 Summit and the World Leaders’ Summit of COP-26 respectively, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said.