Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis exchanged Tuesday on the coronavirus crisis with "a lot of convergence" on the responses to be made, especially on the reduction of the debt of the poorest countries, said the Elysee.
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"Lots of convergence in vision and responses"
During a 45-minute call in Spanish and French, the pope "welcomed the constructive initiatives" taken by France internationally since the start of the health crisis, according to the presidency. "There is a lot of convergence in the vision and the answers" on "the debt of the poorest countries", "aid to Africa", the need for "a truce and a humanitarian pause in the conflicts "and" the need for a united and united Europe ", said the Elysée.
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Pope expresses "support" to France
In his Easter message on April 12, Pope Francis had proposed "to reduce" or even "cancel" the debt of poor countries, a request that joins that of Emmanuel Macron to cancel the debt of African countries for their allow a better fight against the crisis. The pope also expressed to the French president his "support" in the "ordeal crossed" by France, where the coronavirus left more than 20,000 dead, according to the Elysée.
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A third interview between the two men
This interview, requested by Paris, was the third between the two leaders after a visit by Emmanuel Macron to the Vatican in June 2018 and a telephone discussion in May 2019 following the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris. Emmanuel Macron then started an audioconference with religious and lay leaders in the presence of Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. This, the second after that of March 23, is intended to reflect on "the moral cohesion of the country in the face of the crisis" and "the means to rebound," said the entourage of the president.