Pope Francis meets President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received in audience on Friday President Laura Chinchilla Miranda of Costa Rica. This was followed by a meeting between the Costa Rican head of state and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States.

A statement from the Vatican issued afterwards said the talks were cordial and both sides stressed the collaboration between Church and State in tackling various social problems and noted their common concern over protecting human life and the environment. The two parties also discussed the possibility of reaching an accord between Costa Rica and the Holy See aimed at strengthening bilateral relations for the well-being and development of the Central American nation. Finally, both parties discussed the regional situation and a number of international problems and stressed the need to work for the building of peace.