• Pope Francis on Thursday received the President of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Kiska, who subsequently met with Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States, in the Secretariat of State.

    A Vatican Press Office statement called the discussion “cordial”, noting they took place shortly before the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the then Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, which took place on 19 April 1990 following St. John Paul II’s visit to the country.

    The parties expressed satisfaction for the good bilateral relations sealed by the Agreements in force, and by the fruitful dialogue between the Church and the civil authorities.

    The Parties then turned their attention to the current International context, with particular  attention to the challenges affecting certain areas of the world, especially the Middle East, and the  importance of the protection of the dignity of the human person.

    Source: Vatican Radio