Pope Leo XIV Blesses PM Modi on 75th Birthday as Global Leaders Extend Greetings

Vatican City, Sept 2025 : On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, a delegation from the Indian Minority Foundation met His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday. The group included Members of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu and Harsh Shringla, along with Professor Himani Sood.

According to the Indian Embassy in Austria, the Pope conveyed his blessings to Prime Minister Modi and wished him good health and long life. The Embassy shared the development on X, noting that the meeting was a mark of goodwill and reflected India’s growing international outreach.

The meeting coincided with an outpouring of wishes for the Prime Minister from leaders around the world. European Union President Ursula von der Leyen extended greetings, to which Modi responded warmly. In his reply, he expressed delight over the adoption of the New Strategic EU-India Agenda, calling it a shared responsibility and commitment. He also reiterated India’s support for a peaceful and speedy resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also wished the Indian leader, with Modi reciprocating by highlighting the deepening friendship between India and Italy. He emphasized the potential for expanding cooperation across diverse areas in the years ahead.

Birthday greetings also poured in from Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirming Modi’s stature as a prominent global leader. The Prime Minister later shared that he was “overwhelmed” by the flood of wishes he received both from within India and across the world.

The Vatican meeting, in particular, drew attention as a symbolic gesture underscoring the importance of interfaith dialogue and India’s cultural diplomacy. Delegation members Satnam Singh Sandhu and Harsh Shringla noted that the Pope’s blessings for the Indian Prime Minister carried a message of peace, harmony, and goodwill.

As Modi entered his 75th year, the wide array of greetings — from the Vatican to the European Union and global powers — highlighted India’s growing role on the world stage and the Prime Minister’s influence in shaping international discourse.