Emmanuel Macron meets Pope Francis for the third time at the Vatican

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Vatican, October 24, 2022. © VATICAN MEDIA via REUTERS

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Emmanuel Macron was received this Monday morning in private audience by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

The sovereign pontiff and the French president were able to show, once again, their closeness.

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The faces were smiling as the first images sent by the Holy See showed.

The French president arrived this morning at the apostolic palace, accompanied by his wife Brigitte and his delegation, reports our correspondent in Rome,

Éric Sénanque

. 

A long private conversation – 55 minutes – ensued with the pontiff in the pope's personal library.

Emmanuel Macron also spoke with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Bishop Paul R. Gallagher, the head of Vatican diplomacy.

The humanitarian situation in Ukraine at the center of discussions 

According to a press release from the Holy See, Pope Francis and Emmanuel Macron exchanged in particular on the

conflict in Ukraine

, with an emphasis on the humanitarian situation.

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has not ceased to condemn the conflict since February, while trying to maintain a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, very aligned with the positions of the Kremlin.

Particular attention has also been paid to the Caucasus region, the Middle East and Africa, the Vatican also specifies.

This meeting took place with a red thread: the theme of peace.

Evidenced by the exchange of gifts.

The pope gave the French president his document on human fraternity which he had signed in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and President Macron presented Francis with a French edition of 

Towards perpetual peace,

by German philosopher Emmanuel Kant.

► To read also: In Ukraine, Pope Francis "begs" Vladimir Putin to stop the "spiral"

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  • France

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Vatican

  • Pope Francis

  • Religion

  • Ukraine

  • Humanitarian

  • christianity