Vatican City, Oct 25, 2016 / 04:34 am
On Monday Pope Francis met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, head of the country's socialist regime, at the Vatican to discuss the dire political, social and economic situation of Venezuela and its citizens.
"The meeting took place within the framework of the worrisome political, social and economic situation that the country is going through – a situation that is having serious repercussions in the daily lives of the entire population," an Oct. 24 communique from the Vatican read.
Francis, who didn't have any public commitments earlier in the day, met with Maduro privately Oct. 24 in the evening.
According to the Vatican communique, the Pope, "who has at heart the welfare of all Venezuelans," wanted to affirm his continued contribution to Venezuela's "institutionality and everything that will help to resolve the outstanding issues and build trust between the various parties."