Pope
Francis has received German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a private audience at
the Vatican. The talks focused on the fight against poverty and international
crises, including the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Deutsche Welle, 21 Feb 2015
Angela Merkel and Pope Francis |
The German
chancellor had a 40-minute private meeting with the head of the Catholic Church
on Saturday, after which she told reporters, "I was very happy to meet
with the pope."
Angela
Merkel described the talks as "enriching" and wide-ranging, covering
the alleviation of poverty, the role of women in developing countries,
equality, and Germany's agenda for the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in
the southern German state of Bavaria in June.
Germany
currently chairs the G7 group of major industrialized states, consisting of
Germany, the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Italy and Britain. Russia
had been a part of what was formerly known as the G8, before it was excluded
over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
The
conflict in eastern Ukraine was also discussed at the meeting with the pontiff,
Merkel said, adding that "he gave me a lot of encouragement" to
proceed "decidedly and determinedly" to find a solution. Fighting is continuing in the region, despite a ceasefire deal, brokered by Germany,
France, Ukraine and Russia, that went into force last Sunday.
Pope
Francis presented Merkel with a medallion depicting St. Martin giving his coat
to the needy, saying it aimed to remind world leaders their job is "to
protect their poor." Merkel responded: "We try to do our best."
Merkel gave the pope a Johann Sebastian Bach CD and a donation to help children
affected by conflicts in the Middle East.
Following
her audience with the pope - the second since he was appointed - Merkel met
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and German ambassador to the Holy
See, Annette Schavan. Schavan, a former German education minister, was
considered one of Merkel's close confidantes before she resigned from her post
amid a plagiarism scandal in 2013.
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