Pope Francis, St Peter's Square © L'Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis, St Peter's Square ©Vatican Media

Pope and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Reflect on Christianity in African Country's History

Contribution of Catholic Institutions in Education and Healthcare Discussed

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Pope Francis met with Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, this morning.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office this morning noting their discussions were cordial, it stressed that the parties evoked the good existing relations between the Holy See and Ethiopia.
“Important initiatives underway for the promotion of national reconciliation and for the full development of the country were noted, it said, noting: “In this context, we did not fail to highlight the role of Christianity in the history of the Ethiopian people and the contribution of Catholic institutions in education and healthcare.”
The parties, it noted, focused on the regional situation, on the peaceful solution of conflicts and on the socio-economic development in Africa.
In particular, there was talk of Ethiopia’s commitment to the stabilization of the Horn of Africa, with special reference to the recent agreement and the resuming of diplomatic relations with Eritrea.
After meeting with the Pope, the prime minister met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Under-Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Antoine Camilleri.

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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