Prime Minister Jean Castex was received Monday morning at the Vatican by Pope Francis, with whom he spoke of the thorny articulation between the denunciation of criminal facts and the "
secrecy of confession
" after the resounding revelations on sexual abuse in the 'Catholic Church in France.
The head of government, accompanied by his wife, arrived shortly before 10:00 a.m. at the Vatican where he was received in private audience by the Sovereign Pontiff.
As tradition dictates, he offered several gifts to the head of the Catholic Church, including a first illustrated edition by Tony Johannot of "Notre-Dame de Paris", the novel by Victor Hugo, dating from 1836. The Pope also received a signed jersey from Lionel Messi, new striker of Paris SG.
Jean Castex and his wife alongside Pope Francis.
VATICAN MEDIA / REUTERS
A great football fan, the successor of Benedict XVI has already met Lionel Messi, in 2013 in particular, before a friendly match between Italy and Argentina.
Pope Francis, supporter of the San Lorenzo club, considers the "Pulga" as the greatest footballer of all time, ahead of Pelé, not hesitating to confide that his compatriot was "
a god with the ball on the field
", before qualifying his remarks slightly: “
in theory, it's a sacrilege, you can't assure it.
People say it is God like they say "I adore you".
They are expressions of the people, popular means of expressing themselves.
"