Pope meets French President Emmanuel Macron
Pope Francis meets with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, for
their third private audience in the Vatican, and discusses the desire to
promote peace in a world overtaken by war, especially the war in
Ukraine.
War in Ukraine
According to a brief statement from the Holy See Press Office, the
conversations were cordial and were especially focused on the ongoing
war in Ukraine.
"During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat
of State," it said, "the parties focused on matters of an international
nature, starting from the conflict in Ukraine, with special attention to
the humanitarian situation."
"Particular consideration," it continued, "was given to the region of the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Africa."
After meeting with Pope Francis, President Macron met with Vatican
Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Vatican Secretary for
Relations with States and Multilateral Organizations, Archbishop Paul
Richard Gallagher.
Exchange of gifts
The audience with the Pope in the Apostolic Palace lasted almost an hour, and there was the customary exchange of gifts.
The Pope gifted a collection of his works, as well as a bronze
medallion representing Saint Peter and the colonnade. The papal
documents included this year's Message for Peace, the Document on Human
Fraternity, and the book on the Statio Orbis of 27 March 2020, during
the Covid-19 pandemic.
The French President gifted the Pope a first edition, in French, of the book For Perpetual Peace by German philosopher Emmanuel Kant.
On Sunday, President Macron was among the opening speakers at the
Rome-held ‘Spirit of Assisi’ event, sponsored by the Community of
Sant’Egidio.
The three-day annual peace event, whose theme this year as war wages
on in Ukraine is ‘The Cry for Peace,’ will conclude with the speech and
participation of Pope Francis on Tuesday at the Colosseum at the prayer
for peace
Past encounters
On Sunday evening, President Macron also met with Italy's new Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
The French president had previously visited the Pope on 26 November 2021 and 26 June 2018.
During those meetings, issues of major concern were the situation of refugees and migrants, climate change, and the Middle East.
Over the years, the Pope and French President have had several phone
calls, including when the Pope expressed his condolences for the 2020
stabbing attack at the Notre Dame Cathedral de Nice, where three people
were killed; and when the French President contacted the Pope to
emphasize the significance of his Apostolic Visit to Iraq in 2021,
marking the first-ever visit of a Pope to the war-torn Middle Eastern
country.
