The meeting, which lasted a little more than twenty minutes, discussed what the international community could do to end the war. The Holy See spokesperson added that Pope Francis and Ursula von der Leyen also exchanged ideas on climate change and sustainable construction projects.
The President of the European Commission was also received by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, head of the Holy See Secretariat of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, as well as the consequences of the food crisis if the conflict is prolonged, were touched upon at the meeting.
The results of the "Conference on the Future of Europe" program series, which ended in May, were the topics of the meetings.
Ursula von der Leyen posted a photo of the meeting on her social media page, the photo shows Pope Francis sitting in a wheelchair due to knee pain. "We are with those who suffer because of the destruction of Ukraine. The war must end, peace must return to Europe," Ursula von der Leyen wrote on her social media page.
The Holy See announced on Friday that the planned trip of Pope Francis to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan between July 2 and 7 will be postponed. According to the statement, the head of the church is "following the advice of his doctors in order to ensure that the previous therapies aimed at healing his knee do not become futile."
Source: MTI
