Pope meets King of Tonga

Pope Benedict XVI today received the King of Tonga, His Majesty Siaosi Tupou V, who later met with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States.

Tonga is located in the South Pacific , and is comprised of 176 islands, 52 of which are inhabited. Out of its population of 101,000 people, 16,000 are Catholic, with the rest belonging to various Christian denominations.

The talks focused on the social and economic life of the country, and the positive contribution of the Catholic Church in different sectors of society. This was followed by an exchange of views on the current international situation, with particular reference to the Pacific island states.