A statement released by the Vatican Press Office informed that the 30-minute meeting was held in the Apostolic Palace at 8:45 hours, local time, during which the two leaders discussed several issues of bilateral and international interest.

Attending the meeting, in addition to the president, were Noboa’s wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, and Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld. At the end of the meeting, there was an exchange of gifts.

Noboa offered Pope Francis a reproduction of the Virgen del Cisne (Virgin of the Swan), made by Ecuadorian artisans, and Francis gave him a bronze statue representing a dove with an olive branch and a message “Be heralds of peace” and several documents, including this year’s Message for Peace.

At the end of his meeting with the Pope, Noboa and the members of his delegation, which also included Undersecretary of the Presidencial Office Cynthia Gellibert, Undersecretary of Protocol Gicela Andrade, and Logistics Director Juan Bleggi, met with Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher.

On May 14, the Ecuadorian president will travel to Paris, the capital of France, to continue his tour, which will also include Spain, where he will meet on May 16 with the authorities of the Autonomous Community of Murcia and the Federation of Metalworkers of the same city.

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