Revealing the issues discussed between Mr. Putin and the Pope
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis discussed a number of pressing issues of international life during their meeting on Thursday at the Vatican, focusing on the situations in Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela, the Holy See press service said in a statement.
 |
| Meeting between Mr. Putin and the Pope. |
"The two sides focused on environmental issues and a number of key international topics, with particular attention to Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela," the Vatican statement said.
In a statement, the Vatican press service said that in addition to the meeting with Pope Francis, President Putin held talks with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher at the Apostolic Palace.
"During the cordial conversation, both sides expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations, which were further strengthened after the signing of the cooperation protocol between Bambino Gesù Hospital and pediatric clinics of the Russian Federation," the statement said.
Additionally, the statement made clear that the two sides raised "a number of issues important to the life of the Catholic Church in Russia."
On Thursday, the Russian president visited the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, where he was received by the Roman Catholic Pope. Their conversation lasted about an hour. Putin and Pope Francis have met twice at the Vatican - in November 2013 and June 2015.