Pope Francis speaks on the phone with President Lula

2023-06-01 13:06:00

The Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Francis had a telephone conversation with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, in which they discussed the situation in Ukraine, the Amazon and a possible meeting in the Vatican, between other things.

The telephone conversation took place on Thursday, May 31, as also reported by the Brazilian government and Lula himself through his official Twitter profile.

“I have just had a telephone conversation with Pope Francis. I have congratulated the Pope for his efforts in defense of peace in Ukraine and in the fight against poverty. I thanked him for his gestures in defense of democracy in our country in recent years. We must have an audience in the Vatican in the coming months and I invited the Holy Father to visit Brazil, ”he published.

I just spoke by phone with Pope Francis. I congratulated the Pope on his efforts in defending peace in Ukraine and fighting poverty. I thanked the gestures in defense of democracy in our country in recent years. We are due to have a Vatican audience in the next few months and…

— Lula (@LulaOficial) May 31, 2023

During the colloquium, the president of Brazil -elected for the third time in November 2022- thanked the Holy Father for his efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine. In turn, he informed him of the talks held with other international leaders to find a solution to the war.

For their part, they talked about the protests in the Brazilian country led by indigenous people who feel expelled from their lands and Lula thanked the Pontiff for his commitment to the preservation of the Amazon.

In addition, the president invited Pope Francis to visit Brazil, a suggestion that, according to the country’s government, the Holy Father claimed to consider. It should be noted that, if it is carried outIt would be the Pope’s second visit to this Latin American country after World Youth Day in 2013.

Likewise, this phone call revealed a possible audience between Pope Francis and the Brazilian president in the Vatican, in June or July of this year.

It would not be the first meeting they have, since the Brazilian president met with Pope Francis in February 2020, shortly after serving a prison sentence for corruption and money laundering.

During the 19 months that he was imprisoned in Curitiba (Brazil), Lula He already had the opportunity to establish communication with Pope Francis.

On May 3, 2019, Lula received a letter in response to a letter from him sent to the Holy Father on May 29, in which the former Brazilian president thanked Francisco for his “contribution to defending the rights of the poorest and most disadvantaged of this noble nation.