Pope Francis has met with the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica, and they spoke on the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Caribbean island nation.
According to a communique released, the Pope received President Charles Angelo Savarin in the Vatican this morning and their discussions were cordial.
“The parties spoke about the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Dominica, and noted the opportunity for a fruitful and mutual cooperation between the State and the Catholic Church,” the statement said, noting the parties’ recognizing the Church as “an institution which offers a significant contribution to the promotion of the dignity of the human person, as well as in fields such as the education of young people and offering assistance to those most in need.”
In addition, the statement noted, they spoke about regional and global issues, such as the protection of the environment and the issue of climate change and natural disasters, which caused severe damage and several casualties among the population of the island.
After meeting with Pope Francis, President Savarin met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
Dominica has a population of some 72,000 people, of whom about 61 percent are Roman Catholic.
