Pope Francis on May 11, 2018, received in audience Viorica Dancila, Prime Minister of Romania, who subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States.
In the course of the cordial conversations, they reflected on the good bilateral relations existing between the Holy See and Romania. Highlighted were the steps taken to foster cooperation in the educational realm, expressing the hope that the latter will soon be reinforced through opportune agreements. Reference was also made to some current topics, among them the importance of harmony within Romanian society for the pursuit of the common good.
Finally, prospects were examined for the future of the European project, in view also of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Romania will assume in the first semester of 2019.
Dancila became Prime Minister in January 2018, the first Romania woman to hold the office.
