Pope receives French president

January 24, 2014 - Pope Francis on Friday welcomed to the Vatican French President François Hollande, with whom he talked for over 30 minutes in private. Hollande, who came with a delegation, later met Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin along with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.

A Vatican statement said that during the cordial talks the Holy See and France acknowledged the contribution of religion to the common good and recalled the good relations between them, pledging their commitment to maintain regular Church-state dialogue to collaborate constructively on issues of common interest. In the context of the defence and promotion of the human person, they reviewed some current issues such as the family, bioethics, respect for religious communities and the protection of places of worship. On the international level, the Holy See and France touched upon the phenomena of poverty, development, migration and the environment. They particularly focussed on conflicts in the Middle East and in some regions of Africa, wishing the that peaceful social coexistence be re-established there through dialogue and participation of all components of society, respecting the rights of all, specially ethnic and religious minorities.