This morning, Pope Francis met with the president of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman.
According to a statement released today by the Holy See, the discussions, which took place on the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the then-Czech and Slovak Federative Republic on April 19th 1990, were cordial.
«Mutual willingness to strengthen the good bilateral relations was confirmed, along with the hope of concluding negotiations with a view to stipulating a bilateral agreement,» it noted.
The parties expressed their wish to further develop cooperation between Church and State, it stated, especially in sectors of mutual interest, such as «in culture, education and social welfare, for the benefit of the entire nation.»
«Attention then turned to the current international context,» the statement concluded, saying special attention was given to the situation of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
The Czech president subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican secretary for Relations with States.
