Pope Francis received Dennis Francis, President of the United Nations General Assembly, at the Vatican on the afternoon of 29 July a rare occurrence during his July summer break.
The Holy See Press Office reported that the audience took place at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope’s residence in Vatican City.
The Vatican did not release any further details about this meeting, only a photograph of both where Dennis Francis can be seen wearing a multicoloured pin on the lapel of his jacket that refers to the sustainable development goals of the so-called Agenda 2030.
On his official profile on social network X, Dennis said that “it has been a great honour to meet” Pope Francis.
“Your unwavering dedication to humanity, multilateralism and environmental protection is truly inspiring,” he wrote.
He also stressed that, as a spiritual leader, he “defends humanity and urges us to find global solutions to our common challenges.”
“Around the world, millions of believers suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. The right to one’s own religious beliefs or worship cannot and must not be the basis for any form of intolerance and discrimination,” he said.