Today, Pope Francis received the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, in the Vatican and, according to reports, the talks revolved around two main topics: the indigenous question on the one hand, and the fight against poverty, for another.
As detailed from the Vatican, they discussed “on the political and social situation of the region, paying attention to the efforts aimed at favoring development and promoting peace, focusing on some issues of common interest such as the defense of life, child care, reform of the penitentiary system “.
In addition, Bergoglio and the representative of the right-wing movement CREO discussed “respect for indigenous populations and their culture, as well as protection of the environment”two themes that appear in the papal encyclicals Laudato si’ of 2015, and Querida Amazonia of 2019.
On the other hand, Lasso also met with the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, with whom he reviewed “the contribution that the Church offers in the field of education, health, the promotion of human and spiritual values and in the field of charitable activities, underlining the importance of a sincere and permanent dialogue between the Church and the State to face the fundamental challenges of society”.
This was the second meeting between the Pope and Lasso since the president took office as president in 2021, and it took place in the middle of the tour that the Ecuadorian politician has been carrying out in Europe for eight days.
For his part, Francisco received Paraguayan President Mario Abdo yesterday, and his meeting with Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta is expected in the coming weeks.
