The meeting with the Pope, whom Bouchard described last week as one of the greatest men alive, was to take place in the Pontiff´s library where. In preparation for the meeting, Bouchard´s two sons, Alexandre and Simon, have twice read a children´s version of the Bible, the National Post newspaper of Canada reported.
Bouchard´s visit, which comes during a Quebec government trade mission to Europe, does not appear to have been subject to any interference from the Canadian government, unlike a previous meeting between the Pope and René Lévesque, the former separatist premier of Quebec.
In 1983, federal government officials initially insisted Canada´s ambassador to the Vatican be present during Lévesque´s private audience, only to back down just before it took place.
