Pope Benedict Meets South African President

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI met with South African President Thabo Mbeki and discussed issues of peace and morality on the African continent.

The two leaders spoke privately for 15 minutes May 6, then posed for photos and exchanged gifts. The pope greeted Mbeki's wife and eight advisers individually, speaking in English and handing out papal medallions.

A Vatican statement said that during their one-on-one talks Mbeki illustrated the situation in South Africa and its relations with other African states. Mbeki was in Italy to build economic, political and moral support for his efforts to promote good government and outside investment in Africa.

The Vatican said the pope emphasized the role South Africa can play in promoting peace throughout the entire continent.

The pope "also underlined the church's responsibility in the promotion of moral values in South Africa and the world," the Vatican statement said.

The encounter was marked by simplicity and a gracious atmosphere. Pope Benedict, smiling broadly, met his guest outside his papal library with the words: "Welcome Mr. President, nice to see you." Then he ushered Mbeki inside. The two men sat at a desk adorned with a clock, a crucifix and a white information folder.

Later, as he greeted members of the South African entourage, Pope Benedict had a few words to say to each. The pope occasionally joked with his guests, evoking laughter. He never sat in his chair, preferring to stand and move around the room as he distributed commemorative medallions of Pope John Paul II's pontificate.

The pope accepted a brown ceramic vase from Mbeki, calling it "wonderful." When he tried to set it on a tray, the vase tilted to one side, and the two men worked together to get it balanced upright.

After accompanying the president and his wife to the door, Pope Benedict briefly greeted several South African journalists who had made the trip, asking where each one worked. He called them "very important people" and said, "God bless your work."

Miranda Strydom, a correspondent for the South African Broadcasting Corp., asked the pope if he would pray for Africa, telling him the people there were working very hard to build a better society.

"I will do it," the pope replied, and added: "You pray also for me."

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