It was shortly after 10 a.m. when Pope Francis stepped off the plane at Geneva International Airport with a more serious expression than usual.
At the bottom of the stairs, the pope was greeted by these two children, who gave him colorful welcoming flowers, and by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset.
Two former Swiss Guards were also there.
The Holy Father listened to the national anthem next to the president before the military honors were presented.
To the sound of this interesting band playing a tango rhythm, the two men got in their respective cars to head to the airport's VIP area. Before their encounter in private, the president presented Pope Francis with this painting of Jesus in front of Peter's ship. The pope gave him this vintage print of the Swiss Guard's first commander, Kaspar von Silenen.
They were only in front of the cameras shortly, but there was time for jokes.
“Do you know what the difference is between terrorism and protocol? You can converse with the terrorist.”
In the adjacent room, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin met with the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, and other government officials.
From there, the pope headed for the World Council of Churches headquarters. He will only be in Switzerland for 10 hours, which as he said during the flight, will mark “a trip toward unity.”
