Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met Pope Francis in Vatican City. He was accompanied by his private secretary V.K. Pandian to the meeting on the third day of his trip to Italy.
"It has been an absolute pleasure meeting His Holiness Pope Francis (@Pontifex) in Vatican City. Thanked him for the warm audience and wished him good health and a long life," the Odisha CM tweeted after the meeting.
Patnaik, who completed 22 years as chief minister last March, is leading a high-level delegation to Rome and Dubai.
On behalf of the people of Odisha, he presented a 'Patachitra' painting to the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, and sought his blessings, an official statement issued by his office in Bhubaneswar said. Patachitra is a unique and ancient cloth-based scroll painting from Odisha. This art form is known for its intricate detailing, natural colours and mythological themes.
Patnaik is in Italy at the invitation of the World Food Program (WFP), and would share the transformative initiatives of Odisha in the field of food security and disaster management.
On Tuesday, Patnaik paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the MG Memorial Statue at the Plazza Gandhi in Rome. He said he has been inspired by the ideals and principles of the Father of the Nation. Quoting Gandhi, Patnaik said there can be no progress without peace.
This is Patnaik's second foreign trip as chief minister of Odisha in the last 22 years. He will also visit Dubai and meet investors and the Odia diaspora during this 11-day tour.
Patnaik's first visit - in May 2012, to London - was disrupted due to a political coup on May 29, by his main political adviser Pyarimohan Mohapatra, a retired IAS officer and BJD Rajya Sabha MP.
