Yolanda Díaz, after meeting with Pope Francis: "We have talked about his visit to the Canary Islands, reformulating the UN and all the wars in the world"

THE WORLD

Updated Friday, February 2, 2024-12:10

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The second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, appeared this Friday at the Vatican after holding a "private audience" with Pope Francis, the second meeting of this type that she has had with the Pontiff since her arrival to the Government.

In an appearance at the

Spanish Embassy before the Holy See

, Díaz assured that he had spoken with the Pope about "the situation of migrations in the world and in the Canary Islands." "And also about Pope Francis' visit to the Canary Islands. I must be reserved and I will leave it here, but we have discussed the immigration issue," Díaz stressed. Later he re-emphasized that it must be "discreet about Pope Francis' visit to the Canary Islands, but we have talked about it." "I am optimistic," she responded when asked if she trusts that the Pontiff will visit Spain soon.

Díaz assures that in his meeting with the Pope "we have not talked about amnesty", and has reviewed the list of topics that have been discussed at the meeting: "Inequality, equality, public policies, social and solidarity economy, reformulating the United Nations , human rights and all the wars in the world". "Palestine, Ukraine, Yemen, all the wars you can imagine," he has tried to elaborate.

Regarding the national political situation, Díaz wanted to take down the Government's failure in the vote on the Amnesty Law this week: "The legislature is not at risk, because our country voted on June 23 and we must continue to gain rights." .

Second meeting

This is the second meeting between the second vice president of the Government and the Pope after the one that took place in December 2021. On that occasion, Díaz explained that they had talked about the legislative decrees that Spain had undertaken to alleviate the crisis and the concept of work as a social agent.

Díaz then assured that it was a "very exciting" meeting, which lasted a total of about 50 minutes. "It has been a very exciting meeting and I must be respectful and I will not be able to reveal the content of the conversation with the Holy Father," he told reporters at that time.

The vice president gave the Pontiff a stole made of recycled plastic and a special edition of the poetry book by the Galician writer Rosalía de Casto 'Folhas novas'.

The appointment was not without controversy in Spain, mainly due to the fact that Díaz traveled in Falcón for a "private audience", although in the Vatican this term is used to distinguish these meetings from the more public audiences that the Pope has, such as the general audience or the 'kissing of hands' after the angelus.

Francisco had already received Pedro Sánchez in 2020, in a meeting in which the Pontiff warned the head of the Spanish Government of the danger of "ideologies" that take over "the nation" or of "maneuvers" that do not respond to a action. "It is very sad when ideologies take over the interpretation of a nation, a country and disfigure the homeland," he said then.