India’s Modi invites pope to visit after 2017 plan collapsed

By NICOLE WINFIELD and AIJAZ HUSSAIN
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — India’s prime minister has invited Pope Francis to visit the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended an official invitation Saturday during a lengthy audience at the Vatican after plans for a 2017 papal visit fell apart. Modi is in Rome for the Group of 20 summit. He tweeted that he had a “very warm meeting with Pope Francis.” The foreign ministry spokesman tweeted the invitation was to come visit “at an early date.” The Vatican’s official communique said only that Modi’s visit with the Vatican’s secretary of state was brief and that “the cordial relations between the Holy See and India were discussed.” It made no mention of the invitation or of the content of Modi’s meeting with the pontiff.