VATICAN CITY.- He Pope Francisco will hold a meeting on Friday with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, in a private audience scheduled for the morning at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican. The meeting will address crucial issues related to the peace process in the South American country.
The Press Office of the Holy See confirmed that the meeting will take place around 10:30 a.m. in the private library of the Apostolic Palace, guaranteeing an intimate dialogue without the presence of cameras or journalists. The Vatican media will visually document the initial greetings and the traditional exchange of gifts between the Pontiff and the Colombian president.
The presidential delegation plans to arrive at the Vatican Patio de San Damaso by car approximately fifteen minutes before the meeting. During the meeting, both leaders are expected to address fundamental issues, highlighting Colombian peace as a priority and exploring the exceptional role played by the Catholic Church in building peace in the country.
Petro expressed his intention to address this issue during an event at the Casa de Colombia in Davos, underlining the relevance of the Church in this process.
This meeting will mark the third time that Petro meets the Pope, but it will be the first time as head of state. In February 2022, they held a meeting when Petro was still a presidential candidate, and in 2015, during his term as mayor of Bogotá, he participated in a colloquium on ‘Modern Slavery and Climate Change’ at the Vatican.
Source: With information from Europa Press
