To ensure global peace and security, President Goodluck Jonathan and
his wife met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on the promotion of
inter-faith dialogue in Nigeria and other parts of the globe.
Speaking with journalists after his private meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday, President Jonathan noted that the promotion of inter-faith dialogue was a cause to which the Pontiff was very committed.
Speaking with journalists after his private meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday, President Jonathan noted that the promotion of inter-faith dialogue was a cause to which the Pontiff was very committed.
Jonathan said that his administration was already working in close
collaboration with Cardinal John Onaiyekan who was “the team leader” for
the effort to strengthen inter-faith dialogue in Nigeria.
He assured the Pope of his administration’s continued commitment to the promotion of religious harmony and the peaceful co-existence of people of all faiths.
He also assured the Pope that his administration will continue to work
diligently to alleviate poverty in Nigeria through more inclusive
economic growth and development.
Noting that Pope Francis has always taken a keen interest in Nigeria, he said the Pope has promised to visit the country.
The Pope, he said, also assured him that he would continue to pray for God Almighty to bless the country and its people.
He said: “My coming to see the Pope was to discuss issues, especially
that of inter-faith dialogue which the Vatican has been promoting.
“Also the Pope has been advocating that the world should do more to
eradicate poverty and make sure that the ordinary people of this world
are in a position to live more decent lives. The Pope is very dedicated
to poverty alleviation and I also interfaced with him on how we can
collaborate more with the Vatican on what we are already doing in this
regard back home,” the President said.
After his private meeting with President Jonathan, Pope Francis received
the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs, Prof Viola Onwuliri, Governor Godswill Akpabio and his
spouse, Governor Gabriel Suswam, former Governor Peter Obi and his
spouse, the wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Helen Mark and other
members of the President’s entourage.
Others present at the enlarged audience with the Pope included Nigeria’s
Ambassador to the Vatican, Dr. Francis C. Okeke, the Chaplain of the
Presidential Villa, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba and Chief Mike
Oghiadomhe.
Before leaving the Vatican, President Jonathan also conferred with the Secretary of State, Monsignor Pietro Parolin.
He had received Nigeria’s Vatican-based Cardinal Francis Arinze earlier in the day at the St. Regis Hotel in Rome.
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