FGR Bureau
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi availed of the occasion of his visit to Rome, Italy, where he had gone to participate in the 16th Summit Meeting of the G20, to pay a visit to Holy See or the Vatican City and meet Pope Francis, and this visit has proved instrumental in further consolidating friendly relations between India and the Vatican City. Undoubtedly, formal bilateral diplomatic relations between Holy See and independent India were established on 12 June 1948; nonetheless, the links between the Catholic Church and India can be traced back to the apostle St. Thomas, who, according to tradition, is said to have visited India in 52 AD. Catholic Bishops were reportedly sent to India from Syria during the 6th and 7th centuries, and according to one report, an Indian bishop also visited Rome at the time of Pope Callixtus II (1119-1124).
In June 1948, the Holy See had raised an Internunciature to India and that was raised to full Apostolic Nunciature in August 1967, which is located in New Delhi. Initially, India had a legion to the Holy See with its embassy in Bern, Switzerland being accredited to Holy See. Nevertheless, in October 2020, India appointed a full-fledged ambassador to the Holy and in March 2021, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was appointed the Apostolic Nuncio to India. There has been mutual exchange of visits between Holy See and India from time to time. The first Pope to visit independent India was Pope Paul VI who visited India in 1964. Pope John Paul II visited New Delhi in February 1986 and then again in November 1999.
Prior to PM Modi’s visit to Holy See, four India prime ministers – Jawaharlal Nehru (1955), Indira Gandhi (1981), I.K. Gujral (1997), and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2000) – have visitedHoly See. Besides, many other Indian dignitaries have also visited Holy See. At the canonization function of Saint Teresa of Calcutta in September 2016, the then External Affairs Minister of India Mrs. Sushma Swaraj led a delegation to Holy See, where she also called on Pope Francis.
PM Modi-Pope Francis Meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 30 and it was his first meeting with the head of the Holy See and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Holy See is also called the Vatican City.After his meeting with Pope Francis, Modi tweeted, with pictures of him embracing the Pope, “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 is the fifth Indian Prime Minister to have visited the head of Roman Catholics, the largest religious denomination in the world.
The meeting between PM Modi and Pope Francis is an indication of close relations between Holy See and India and a great step towards peace, harmony and inter-faith dialogue. During the meeting, which went for an hour and was “very warm”, as described by PM Modi, Pope was invited to India by the Prime Minister.This was the first meeting between an Indian Prime Minister and the Pope in more than two decades. The last such meeting was in June 2000, when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the Vatican and met the then Pope, His Holiness John Paul II.
India’s ministry of external affairs said Pope Francis has accepted PM Modi’s invitation and is looking forward to visiting India. According to India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla,”The last papal visit to India was in 1999 when Pope John Paul II visited the country. Pope Francis has accepted PM Modi’s invitation. In his own words, he said: ‘You (PM Modi) have given me the greatest gift. I am looking forward to visiting India’.” The BJP president J.P. Nadda, said in a tweet: “India is a vibrant and inclusive democracy, where the Christian community has played a pivotal role in areas like politics, films, business & armed forces. Under Modi Ji’s leadership India is marching ahead on the path of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’.”
PM Modi’s visit to the Holy See and his meeting with Pope Francis has been hailed by RSS. Stating that the meeting between PM Modi and Pope Francis enhanced the prestige of India, general secretary of RSS Dattatreya Hosable said: “What is wrong if the head of the government meets anyone in the existing civil system in the world? We welcome it because we believe in ‘Vasudhava Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family). We respect all the religions.”
While welcoming Modi-Pope Francis meeting, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), a body of Catholic Bishops in the State, on October 30, said, “Inviting Pope Francis to India was a historic decision and this will raise the stature of the country among the nations of the world. His visit will help to strengthen the diplomatic relation between both countries. It will also help to nurture the relationship between various sects of Christianity and other religions.”
Way Ahead
PM Modi’s meeting with Pope Francis assumes significance as it comes at a time when Christians in many parts of the country have been complaining of harassment and attacks on the community and its institutions.Christians are the third largest religious community in India. According to Census 2011, they constitute 2.3 per cent of the population, behind Hindus (79.8%) and Muslims (14.2%). A nation can march onward on the path of progress and prosperity only when all segments of the society feel secure and satisfied and accordingly take part in the task of national reconstruction with added enthusiasm without any fear.
