The central event of the visit was the president's audience with Pope Francis. In addition to bilateral relations, major global issues were also on the agenda.

The meeting was the second between top officials from Slovenia and the Vatican this year -- the Vatican's Secretary of State Parolino visited Ljubljana in February --, and was conducted in an atmosphere of good bilateral relations.

"We talked about two issues if we exclude the purely private part of conversation: about reconciliation and about young people. Those were the topics we focused on. Our conversation about reconciliation wasn't just about Slovenia, even though I did inform him about several important steps we've made in that direction," said the Slovenian president.

During their conversation, President Pahor and Pope Francis described the reconciliation process as a building block of the European Union – one that is too little-known to younger generations. The young must be educated about the past and effectively directed towards the future.

Pahor added that he has invited the Pontiff to Slovenia, "but it's up to him to decide what the most appropriate moment will be."

"In Slovenia right now, there are several things happening that transcend our homeland in terms of their symbolic meaning; they have an effect on the region and the international community as a whole. This is something that intrigues him and I believe he now has new reasons for a possible visit to Slovenia next year," said Pahor. He mentioned that he had addressed young Catholics in Stična, with whom he had signed an invitation for the Pontiff to visit Slovenia.

J. P. (Ra SLO), G.C. (MMC)
Translated by J. B.