President Correa met Pope Francisco and spoke to him

This morning, the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa was received by Pope Francisco, who spoke  with him for 20 minutes about the situation in Latin America, the respect for indigenous populations, and the importance of an ongoing dialogue between the Church and the State.

“(…) At the meeting they spoke about the relevant contribution of the Catholic Church in several sectors of social life of the country and the importance of honest and ongoing dialogue between the Church and the State to address the key challenges of the society,” said the Vatican.

This dialogue also addressed issues concerning the central importance of social justice and the value of solidarity and subsidiarity in the search of common good,  and also current affairs of the region (Latin America), respect for indigenous populations, culture and environmental protection.

Subsequently, Correa met with Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the “foreign minister” of the Holy See, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.