Pope receives Ukrainian President

(June 02, 2009): Pope Benedict XVI received in private audience on Monday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko, said a communiqué from the Vatican’s Press Office. The Pope and the President of Ukraine spoke about issues of international importance, and also about the good relations that exist between the Vatican and Ukraine, said the communiqué. They also discussed ongoing government efforts to return church properties confiscated by the government, when Ukraine was under Soviet rule, and the Catholic Church’s contribution to Ukrainian society, particularly through the promotion of Christian values and support for ecumenism , the communiqué added..
After the brief conversation of some 25 minutes, the Pope met the President’s wife and entourage. In an exchange of gifts the Pope gave President Yushchenko a gold medal and a reproduction of a 1663 etching of St. Peter’s Square.The President gave the Pontiff, a large white marble bust of Pope Benedict himself.
Later, President Yushchenko met Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.