Mali at the Vatican

This morning in Rome, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience, inside the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the President of the Republic of Mali, His Excellency Mister Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who subsequently met with His Eminence, Pietro Parolin, the Cardinal Secretary of State, who was accompanied by His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the discussions at the Secretariat of State, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, the existing good bilateral relations were evoked, and the parties spoke about the domestic situation in the country, with particular reference to humanitarian and security issues, endangered by the spread of religious radicalism and terrorism.

Reference was then made to various matters of regional and international interest, including growing food insecurity in the Sahel region, the phenomenon of migration, and peacekeeping in western Africa.