The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met Pope Francis on Saturday. The main topics of the conversation were the COVID-19 pandemic, migration, climate change and the situation in the Middle East, the Vatican informed after the audience.
The head of the European Commission presented the Pope with a copy of the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950, a plan presented by the then French Minister of Foreign Affairs. It concerned the proposal to integrate the steel production and coal mining sectors of the founding countries and the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, which was the nucleus of the future European Union.
Moreover, Ursula von der Leyen presented Francis with two volumes of the history of European integration. She received a Message for the Day of Peace and a document on fraternity from the Pope, as well as a bronze medal with the stamped words from the Book of Isaiah: “The desert will become an orchard”.
The Vatican announced in a press release that the President of the European Commission spoke with Pope Francis, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the head of diplomacy, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
Among the topics of the talks, the initiatives on the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the European Communities were mentioned.
In addition, the recently launched Conference on the future of Europe, the social consequences of the pandemic, migration, climate change and developments in the Middle East were discussed, the Vatican press office announced.
Ursula von der Leyen visited the Pope the day after the Global Summit on Health in Rome dedicated to fighting the pandemic and the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.
