Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, while addressing a gathering in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, remembered Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday in Vatican City.
Donald Trump even criticised former US President Barack Obama and suggested that he "made it possible for Russia to steal Crimea from Ukraine without even a shot being fired."
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, George Kurian and Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Joshua De Souza, who are part of the official Indian delegation, also attended the ceremony.
Large crowds lined up along Rome's streets to pay their respects to Pope Francis as the white popemobile carrying his coffin made its way across the Vatican flanked by motorbikes on its way to the pope's final resting place, a place of his choosing.
"A special mass celebrating the life of late Pope Francis, who passed away on 21st April in the morning early. Today is his funeral in Rome. People are gathered in Vatican, including many leaders. He is a person who has revolutionised the world, inculcating in them human values and gospel va
Pope Francis' coffin was sealed in a private Vatican ceremony on Friday, formally ending three days of lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica. Around 250,000 mourners visited, and his funeral will be held Saturday morning, beginning nine days of mourning.
President Droupadi Murmu paid homage to Pope Francis at the Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Friday, along with senior Indian ministers, the Ministry of External Affairs said.