Pope may meet with Putin during UN visit

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could have an audience with Pope Francis on the sidelines of the development summit meeting here this month — but only, the Vatican envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday, September 9, if Putin gets to the UN in time, the New York Times reports.

According to diplomatic protocol, the pope is to hold a bilateral meeting with the country that presides over the United Nations Security Council and only with its head of state. In September, that is Russia. Hence, Putin.

The pope is scheduled to speak on the morning of Friday, Sept. 25, when he will address world leaders before the official opening of the development meeting. Putin is scheduled to address the group two days later.

The Russian mission said Wednesday, September 8, that Putin was not expected to arrive as early as Sept. 25. That appeared to make the prospect of a meeting with the pope unlikely.

The Vatican’s top diplomat in UN, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, said the pope would speak to the General Assembly in Spanish and address a range of issues, including terrorism, climate change, poverty and the movement of refugees and migrants across the world.

As a measure of the significance of the pope’s address, it was the first news conference organized by the mission, officials said. Pope Francis’ predecessors have addressed the General Assembly four times since the inception of the United Nations. The last was Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.