The United States President Joe Biden requested one of the Indian priests to celebrate a private Mass in a luxury hotel on September 9.
Father Nicholas Dias, the secretary of the liturgy commission of the Archdiocese of Delhi, was requested by the US Embassy in the Indian capital to offer a private Mass with Biden.
Father Dias celebrated the Mass at 9 a.m. on September 9 at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel, where the US president stayed during the G20 Summit.
In the Indian capital, President Biden sought divine blessings before the summit, and a few Catholics attended a Mass in his private room.
As part of the summit on September 9–10, President Biden reportedly wished to receive Holy Communion, and he also read the intercessory prayers and shared about the Catholic faith with Father Dias.
A seal of the United States President was presented to Father Dias after the 30-minute Mass. The seal was only given to people in special circumstances, and the medal number was 261.
A native Goan, Father Dias gifted President Biden Bebinca of Indo-Portuguese descent, known as the queen of sweets in the western Indian state.
Father Dias said, "I had a packet with me and decided at the last moment to gift it to the President."
For security reasons, the US Embassy kept attendance at the Mass to a minimum, and he was taken to the embassy by embassy staff.
President Biden’s personal doctor attended the Mass.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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