Dutch leader meets with Pope
June 15, 2016
Pope Francis received Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the Vatican on June 15.
Following their meeting, Rutte, who assumed office in 2010, met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.
During the discussions, the parties spoke about “questions of mutual interest such as the phenomenon of migration, and considered various issues of an international character,” according to the Holy See Press Office.
Rutte, 49, is a member of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. After the audience, he said on Twitter that the Pope “has inspired many with his message of hope and reconciliation.”
The Netherlands has 17 million people, 28% of whom are Catholic.
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Further information:
- Comunicato della Sala Stampa: Udienza al Primo Ministro dei Paesi Bassi (Holy See Press Office)
- Bijzondere ontmoeting (Twitter)
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