Vatican City, Jun 2, 2008 / 13:51 pm
On Saturday morning the new ambassador from the land of “eternal spring” or Guatemala was received by Pope Benedict at the Vatican. The topics raised by the Pope during the meeting included emigration, poverty, proper nutrition and violence.
After Acisclo Valladares Molina presented his letters of credence as the new ambassador of Guatemala to the Holy See, the Holy Father addressed the diplomat on how to continue building a better Guatemalan society.
This year, Pope Benedict remarked, marks the 25th anniversary of John Paul II's first pastoral visit to the land "of eternal spring" as he began his talk. Before giving his analysis of the problems facing the country, the Holy Father praised the fidelity that Guatemalans have always responded with to the Holy See's concern for their country.
Amongst the areas of concern that the Pope drew attention too were poverty and emigration, which he said are also concerns for the Church. “Her rich ecclesial experience, accumulated over the course of history, may be of help in finding the means to face these problems from a humanitarian perspective, and to strengthen solidarity which is indispensable in order to find effective and lasting solutions," he said.