The Pope meets with Arévalo de León to discuss the fight against poverty and crime.
Vatican City, Oct 11 (EFE)
Pope Leo XIV received Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León at the Vatican on Saturday. During his meetings at the Vatican, Arévalo addressed topics such as the fight against poverty, corruption, and crime.
Following the meeting with the American and Peruvian pontiff in the library of the papal palace, the president also met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations Paul Richard Gallagher.
“During the cordial conversations held at the Secretariat of State, the mutual appreciation for the good relations between Guatemala and the Holy See was reiterated, as well as the desire to further strengthen them,” the Vatican reported in a statement.
They later added, “issues of mutual interest were addressed, such as socioeconomic developments, the fight against poverty, corruption, and crime, as well as collaboration with the local Church to promote social cohesion and the good of the country.”
They also discussed “some regional and international sociopolitical issues, with particular attention to migration and current conflicts.”
Arévalo de León presented the Pope with small-scale reproductions of Guatemalan procession floats and traditional crafts.
The president arrived at the Vatican after participating in the EU Global Gateway forum in Brussels, the initiative launched by the European Commission in 2021 to compete with China’s New Silk Road and boost infrastructure development in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
