Tokyo, Japan, Nov 25, 2019 / 09:00 am
Pope Francis met Monday with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. It was the first meeting of the two less than two weeks since Naruhito completed the rituals that made him the newest emperor in the world's oldest continuous hereditary throne.
Pope Francis is on his first visit to Japan, a country he's desired to experience since he was in seminary. The trip lasts from Nov. 23-26.
The relationship between the Holy See and Imperial Household has been a strange one, but the papacy has a surprising amount in common with the Japanese imperial throne. And Pope Francis and Emperor Naruhito share similar stories about their rise to positions of leadership.
On Monday, the pontiff and the emperor reportedly greeted each other in Spanish, Pope Francis's native language.