Pope Francis receives former president Dilma Rousseff at the Vatican | World

Pope receives Dilma Rousseff at the Vatican

Pope Francis met this Saturday (27) with the former president of Brazil and current president of the BRICS bank, Dilma Rousseff, at the Vatican.

“Welcome! What a pleasure to see you again!” said the pontiff upon receiving the former president. According to the Vatican, Dilma Rousseff was the first head of government to receive Francis on an international trip after he became pope, during a trip to Rio in 2013.

“(During the hearing) We spoke about humanity’s greatest challenges: the fight against inequality and hunger, the energy transition and the actions needed to face climate change,” said the former president.

The two spoke in Portuguese and Spanish.

According to the Vatican, the former president gave the pope the book “Theodoro Sampaio. In the sertões and in the city”, by Ademir Pereira dos Santos and received as a gift from Francisco the encyclical “Laudato si”, the apostolic exhortation “Laudate Deum” and a bronze sculpture

The pope told Dilma that the work means “that it is only permissible to look at a person from top to bottom to help them get up.”

At the end of the meeting, the pontiff said to Dilma: “pray for me and I will pray for you.” “I’m praying,” replied the former president.

In an image from 2013, Dilma welcomes Pope Francis during his visit