Pope Francis met with the new ambassador of Romania to the Holy See. His name is Liviu Petru Zapartan, he is 69 years old and has spent a great part of his career in the academic field at university.
During the meeting, the pope also greeted the rest of the Romanian delegation, and gave the ambassador copies of his three great documents.
The ambassador came to the Vatican accompanied by his wife. At the end of the meeting, Pope Francis asked them to pray for him, but also said this surprising statement.
'Pray for me, and I hope to pay you a visit.'
The only pope in history who visited Romania is John Paul II in 1999. In 2015, Pope Francis met with the President of Romania for the 25th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.