Vatican City, Jul 9, 2009 / 08:46 am
This morning Pope Benedict recalled the joyful memories of World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia in a meeting with the country’s prime minister before sitting down with South Korea’s president and focusing on the concerns currently facing his country.
In his meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, the Holy Father recalled the 2008 World Youth Day festivities that took place in Sydney, particularly “the great spirit of collaboration between the ecclesiastical and civil authorities that characterized the organization of that event.”
The two heads of state then turned their discussion to the current regional and international issues, “with reference to both respect for religious liberty and environmental problems," reports the Vatican press office.
The Holy See also released information about the Pope’s meeting with Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea, in which they discussed the world’s economic crisis, especially in the poorest countries, as well as the current political and social situation on the Korean peninsula.