MINSK, 23 December (BelTA) – The latest episode of the documentary series Time Chose Us aired by the Belarus 1 TV channel detailed the visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to the Vatican in 2009, BelTA has learned.
The meeting which was covered by both secular and church media took place in April 2009. The Vatican, the center of the Catholic world, attracts millions of believers and tourists, but only a few visit its heart: the Apostolic Palace.
Pope Benedict XVI welcomed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko with full honors and ceremonies of the Holy See.
"Certainly, it was a great event. We had been preparing particularly thoroughly for the last two or three years before the meeting. I had to pay a number of visits to the Vatican. We were delight to host high officials of the Vatican. All this led to a summit meeting between the Vatican and Belarus. It was the first meeting between the Pope and the Belarusian head of state," former Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs (2003-2012) Sergei Martynov recalled.
The meeting was held in the Sala Regia (Regal Room), and then the talks took place in the Pope's private library. This visit became a logical continuation of Belarus' domestic and foreign policies.
"Belarus is not only the geographical center of Europe, but also a country where two religions, the Orthodoxy and Catholicism, co-exist peacefully. I saw his [the Pope of Rome] interest, he knows about this idea. He literally said: the Lord may open this door and we will meet soon," Aleksandr Lukashenko described his talks with the Pope.
After the private audience, Aleksandr Lukashenko introduced the entire Belarusian delegation and his youngest son to the Pope. Five-year-old Nikolai presented the pontiff with an alphabet book, while the president gifted an image of Christ made of various types of wood and straw. In turn, the Pope presented a gold medal of his pontificate to the Belarusian leader.
The meeting which was covered by both secular and church media took place in April 2009. The Vatican, the center of the Catholic world, attracts millions of believers and tourists, but only a few visit its heart: the Apostolic Palace.
Pope Benedict XVI welcomed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko with full honors and ceremonies of the Holy See.
"Certainly, it was a great event. We had been preparing particularly thoroughly for the last two or three years before the meeting. I had to pay a number of visits to the Vatican. We were delight to host high officials of the Vatican. All this led to a summit meeting between the Vatican and Belarus. It was the first meeting between the Pope and the Belarusian head of state," former Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs (2003-2012) Sergei Martynov recalled.
The meeting was held in the Sala Regia (Regal Room), and then the talks took place in the Pope's private library. This visit became a logical continuation of Belarus' domestic and foreign policies.
"Belarus is not only the geographical center of Europe, but also a country where two religions, the Orthodoxy and Catholicism, co-exist peacefully. I saw his [the Pope of Rome] interest, he knows about this idea. He literally said: the Lord may open this door and we will meet soon," Aleksandr Lukashenko described his talks with the Pope.
After the private audience, Aleksandr Lukashenko introduced the entire Belarusian delegation and his youngest son to the Pope. Five-year-old Nikolai presented the pontiff with an alphabet book, while the president gifted an image of Christ made of various types of wood and straw. In turn, the Pope presented a gold medal of his pontificate to the Belarusian leader.
Follow us on:
