Pope receives Angolan president

May 02, 2014 - Pope Francis on Friday received in the Vatican president José Eduardo dos Santos of ‎Angola, who later met Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin along with Vatican Secretary ‎for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.‎ A Vatican statement said that the ‎‎“cordial discussions” recalled the good relations between the Holy See and the ‎Republic of Angola, especially the planned bilateral Agreement regarding the legal state of the Catholic ‎Church in the southern African nation. The two sided acknowledged the important contribution of the ‎Catholic Church to the country through its educational and healthcare institutions.‎ They also focussed ‎on various challenges of Angola and the region, such as the fight against poverty and social inequality, ‎the full development of the person,‎ reconciliation, justice and peace, with particular attention to the ‎different situations of conflict that affect the African continent.‎
Also on Friday, Pope Francis received a delegation from the Islamic Centre from his native Argentina.