The President of Latvia, Egils Levits, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two states.
The gift that most pleased the Pope were these candles, although their origin is not clear. Over the sounds of all the cameras only this was audible.
'And we support this child.'
'I thank you for such a gift because it is very meaningful'.
The Pope gave him a medallion of St. Martin giving his mantle to a poor man......
as well as the main documents of his papacy, such as the message of peace that he traditionally delivers with his signature to each Head of State or Government who visits him.
“I signed it for you today.”
They also revisited some moments of Pope Francis’ trip to Latvia in September 2018.
There, the Pope stressed the message of forgiveness and hope shared by people like Bishop Boleslas Sloskans during the harsh Soviet occupation of the country.
POPE FRANCIS
“Bishop Sloskans, who rests here, after being arrested and sent away, wrote to his parents: 'I beg you from the bottom of my heart: do not let vengeance or exasperation find a way into your hearts. If we permitted that to happen, we would not be true Christians, but fanatics.'”
The meeting between the President and the Pope was very cordial. At the end the Pope gave a rosary to each member of the Latvian delegation, and the two leaders affectionately said their goodbyes.
Javier Romero
TR: Justin McLellan
