Rome/New Delhi, Oct 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to call on Pope Francis at the Vatican City today, after which he will attend G20 sessions. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Joko Widodo of Indonesia, and the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong.
The meeting with the Pope will be a one-on-one meeting.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said at a briefing: “The Prime Minister will pay a call on His Holiness, Pope Francis at the Vatican City, and thereafter, he will attend G20 sessions.”
“I know that the Prime Minister will have a separate call (with the Pope); he will be meeting his holiness on a one to one basis. And that could, after a certain period of time be followed up by delegation level talks. The Vatican has not set an agenda. I believe, tradition is not to have an agenda when you discuss issues with His Holiness. And I think we would respect that.
“I’m sure the issues would cover a range of areas of interest in terms of the general global perspectives and issues that are important to all of us, COVID-19, health issues, how we can work together, how we can work together to maintain peace and tranquility, and this is something that, I think would be the general trend in the discussions.”
The Prime Minister would be attending a G20 Session on Global Economy and Global Health. In the evening, he is slated to attend a G20 cultural event.
UNI/
