G7 Summit: PM Modi Shares Hug with Pope Francis at Outreach Session in Italy (Watch Video)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pope Francis exchanged a warm embrace at the Outreach session of the G7 Summit in southern Italy on Friday, joining other world leaders to discuss pressing global issues. PM Modi and the 87-year-old Pope, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, were seen sharing a light-hearted exchange. The Pope, in a wheelchair, greeted each of the leaders gathered at the summit venue of Borgo Egnazia.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Pope Francis at Outreach Session of G7 Summit in Italy. The Prime Minister also strikes up a conversation with British PM Rishi Sunak. pic.twitter.com/BNIpfK6lIN

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2024

“It is up to each of us to make good use of AI,” the Pope said in his address on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. The session was attended by the G7 participants and other leaders of the Global South, invited by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the summit's president.

Prime Minister Meloni greeted Pope Francis and joined him as he greeted leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Modi and Pope Francis previously met during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican in October 2021. They discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and India's initiatives in these areas. The Pope appreciated India's assistance to countries in need during the pandemic.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, India and the Holy See have maintained friendly relations since establishing diplomatic ties in 1948. India, home to the second-largest Catholic population in Asia, is hopeful of a papal visit next year.