Pope
Francis had a private meeting in the Vatican on Monday afternoon with
the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
It’s the fourth
time the Russian leader has been here to the Vatican – he met twice with
Pope John Paul II in 2000 and 2003 and had an audience with Pope
Benedict in 2007.
In September this year, Pope Francis also wrote
directly to President Putin, as the city of St Petersburg prepared to
host the G20 summit of world economic leaders.
In that letter, the Pope
spoke of the need for a more just global financial framework, stressing
that “the world economy will only develop if it allows a dignified way
of life for all human beings, from the eldest to the unborn child, not
just for citizens of the G20 member states but for every inhabitant of
the earth, even those in extreme social situations or in the remotest
places... “
Pope Francis also focused in that letter on the need for
an urgent solution to the Syrian conflict, saying: “It is regrettable
that, from the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, one-sided
interests have prevailed and in fact hindered the search for a solution
that would have avoided the senseless massacre now unfolding..”