Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis in June 2024 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Apulia, Italy. Pope Francis, the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, was a prominent figure at the gathering.

“Met Pope Francis on the sidelines of the @G7 Summit. I admire his commitment to serving people and making our planet better. Also invited him to visit India. @Pontifex,” Modi posted on X.

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This was their second meeting; the first took place in 2021 at the Vatican, where they discussed a broad range of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Modi was the first Indian prime minister to meet the current pope, who assumed the papacy in 2013.

During the G7 summit, Pope Francis also addressed a session on the ethical challenges and potential risks of artificial intelligence, and was expected to make a strong appeal for peace in global conflict zones.

The Vatican announced Pope Francis’s death in a video statement on Monday. He passed away at the age of 88 after recently recovering from a serious episode of double pneumonia.

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“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, on Vatican TV. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013. His election was unexpected; the Argentine cardinal, widely known for his compassion toward the poor, was seen as an outsider. From the beginning of his papacy, he broke with tradition, choosing to live in a modest communal residence instead of the grand papal apartments, saying it was better for his “psychological health.”