Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican prior to the G20 summit, a section of the Indian media reported on October 23.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to attend the October 30-31 G-20 summit in Rome.
According to The Free Press Journal, the prime minister plans to leave for Rome on October 28 and meet with the head of the Catholic Church in the Vatican the next day.
The Hindustan Times also reported that Modi is supposed to be leaving India on October 28 to meet the pope in the Vatican.
However, the Indian government is “tight-lipped about the prime minister’s travel itinerary.”
The October 29 event will be the first meeting between Modi, leader of the world’s largest democracy, and Pope Francis, who heads the largest Christian denomination.
Pope Francis has expressed his desire to visit India several times since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013, a year before Modi became prime minister.
The Indian government has put the papal visit on hold for undisclosed reasons.
Read full report in Matters India
