Pope meets with President Milatović of Montenegro

Pope Francis holds a private audience with Jakov Milatović, the President of Montenegro.

By Vatican News

The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, met Thursday with Pope Francis in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

During their encounter, the Pope and the President performed the customary exchange of gifts and paused for a group photo along with President Milatović’s entourage.

Afterwards, President Milatović met in the Secretariat of State with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the talks were cordial and emphasized the good relations between the Holy See and Montenegro.

They also spoke about the “positive contribution of the local Catholic community to

Montenegrin society, as well as some open questions in relations between the Church and the State.”

“Subsequently,” read the communique, “a number of current issues were reviewed, including the path of Montenegro and other Western Balkan countries towards full integration into the European Union, and the conflicts in Israel and Palestine and in Ukraine.”