Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Pope Francis in Rome for the first time this weekend during the G20 summit, officials revealed on Thursday.
Activists claim that religious minorities in Hindu-majority India have faced increased levels of discrimination and violence since Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power back in 2014.
Muslims and Christians have suffered a rise in reported violent attacks, but Modi's government rejects having a Hindu agenda and insists that people of all religions have equal rights.
Announcing the meeting with the head of the Catholic Church, which has also been confirmed for Saturday by the Vatican, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said only that it was "very important".
After the G20 gathering, the prime minister is scheduled to leave for Glasgow to attend the COP26 climate summit.
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