Alerts Sign-up
Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres at the Vatican on June 11. The meeting took place in the pope’s study in the Paul VI Audience Hall before the pope's morning general audience in St. Peter’s Square, as reported by the Vatican press office.
Video clips from Vatican Media show Guterres greeting Pope Leo in English with, “Holy Father, congratulations.” Pope Leo responded with gratitude, and Guterres offered his "best wishes for your pontificate."
Following this meeting, Guterres also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister.
The discussions were described as cordial by the Holy See, which expressed its support for the United Nations' commitment to world peace. They covered various ongoing processes and upcoming summits organized by the United Nations and addressed challenges faced by the organization concerning global crises.
Specific situations of conflict and instability were also part of their conversation. The 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly is scheduled for September 9-23 in New York.
Guterres had previously met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in December 2019 for a closed-door meeting that resulted in a joint video message advocating for peace and justice worldwide.
