ACI Prensa Staff, 16 December, 2024 / 7:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Sunday during the pontiff’s visit to Corsica, where they discussed international concerns and shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.
The 40-minute private meeting took place in a room at Ajaccio’s Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, where the two leaders addressed several pressing international issues, including conflicts in the Holy Land, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
Both expressed their desire for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and discussed the situation in Syria, advocating for a “just and inclusive” political transition that would protect minorities.
During their exchange, Macron presented the pope with a book about Notre-Dame Cathedral, while Francis reciprocated with papal medals and magisterial documents. The pope specifically recommended that Macron read his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, drawing attention to the passage referencing St. Thomas More’s prayer for a sense of humor.
“Lord, give me a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others,” reads the prayer, which Pope Francis has previously described as “very beautiful” and recites daily.
