Pope Leo XIV received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday (8), in South Africa’s first high-level meeting with the pontiff of the Catholic Church.
During the meeting at the Vatican, the two leaders were expected to address issues such as humanitarian aid, climate justice, emergency response and peacebuilding.
Ramaphosa presented the Pope with two books about two icons of his country: and the deceased.
Leão reciprocated by offering a sculpture that represents intergenerational dialogue, a photo album of the Apostolic Palace and a message of peace given by his predecessor, the deceased, on January 1st.
The pontiff, the former cardinal, became the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion followers.
South Africa, which Ramaphosa has led since 2018, formally established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1994.
