Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded “positively” to the Roman Catholic Church's long-standing demand for extending an invitation to the Pope to visit India.
Modi on Tuesday interacted with three cardinals of the Catholic Church on various issues being faced by the Christian community in the country.
"He (the prime minister) may be looking for an appropriate time," Mar George Cardinal Alencherry said, responding to a query on the demand placed before the prime minister.
The cardinals apprised the prime minister that Pope Francis was keen to visit India and this matter was raised by the Church earlier also. Modi, reportedly, assured the cardinals that he would consider their request. The church leaders want that Pope Francis's visit should be both as the head of State of the Vatican and also the global chief of the Catholic Church.
The last visit by a Pope to India was in 1999 when the late John Paul II visited. Onmanorama reported Pope Francis may visit India once the COVID-19 risk eases in India.
In a tweet Modi said, "Interacted with Mar George Cardinal Alencherry (Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, (Archbishop of Bombay and President of CBCI), and His Beatitude Baselios Cardinal Cleemis (Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church).”
After meeting the prime minister at his office in New Delhi, the cardinals described the talks as "very positive and friendly" and added "there is no enmity between the government and Christian community”.
They said their interaction with the prime minister was not a political one and Modi told them that "this is your home and anybody can come here" for dialogue.
The top Catholic priests said they see it as "a refreshing expression from the part of the government".
"It was very positive... He was relaxed and he was friendly also," Cardinal Oswald Gracias told reporters after meeting Modi.
Cardinal Gracias said during the interaction, they "mentioned" tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy's arrest.
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The prime minister was "sympathetic", but he said "the government does not want to interfere too much in the working of investigation agencies”.
Swamy is an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.
(With inputs from onmanorama, PTI)
