French President Sarkozy Visits Pope

This week witnessed the meeting of Pope and French President. This will be a land mark in the history. French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived Thursday at the Holy See and for an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Mr Sarkozy arrived more than 10 minutes late for his appointment with Pope Benedict. During their half-hour meeting at the Vatican, Mr Sarkozy gave the Pope a copy of his book, The Republic, Religion and Hope, which he co-wrote in 2004 with Father Philippe Verdin and Colin Thibaud, a philosopher. The book argues that French society needs religious instruction and that the separation between Church and state should be relaxed.

On his first visit to Vatican City as president, Catholic Sarkozy was conferred the title Honorary Canon at the Lateran Basilica. It is a title given to the head of France since King Henry IV. After he received the Honorary Canon of St. John Lateran during evening prayers at the Lateran Basilica, President Sarkozy delivered a talk on the relationship between Church and state. He is the fifth French president to have paid a courtesy call on the Pope. His predecessors have received papal blessings from 3 popes from 1957 until 1996. Before leaving the Vatican the French President also held talks with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and descended into the Vatican crypt to pause for a moment of prayer before the tomb of John Paul II, a man for whom President Sarkozy has frequently expressed deep admiration.

Mr Sarkozy also extended an invitation to the Pope to visit France next year, for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. I hope this meeting will help to create a good relation with Rome and France. Next year also there will be an opportunity further meeting between Pope and French President at Lourdes. This meeting will be an invitation for that. In this meeting they spoke about international matters and the vocation of pontiff as a bringer of peace and reconciliation. I think such meetings will remind the leaders, their important role as peace makers.

For further reading:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/21/wsarkozy121.xml

http://www.feedsyndicate.com/articles/7009511209

http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=175154