On his personal Twitter account, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva announced he will meet with Pope Francis.
“I will visit Pope Francis to thank him not only for his solidarity with me in a difficult time, but especially for his dedication to the oppressed people. I also want to discuss the Brazilian experience in the fight against poverty.”
His lawyers say Lula asked to postpone a court hearing to travel to the Vatican on Feb. 13. The Brazilian court is analyzing the request.
The Holy See has not confirmed anything. But during the Argentine president's visit with Pope Francis, Alberto Fernández said he talked about this potential meeting.
ALBERTO FERNÁNDEZ
President of Argentina
“Lula asked me if he could see the pope. So I asked the pope if he could receive Lula. The pope told me of course if he writes, he would gladly receive Lula.”
The last time Lula visited the Vatican was in March 2009. His meeting with Benedict XVI lasted about 25 minutes. Among several topics, he thanked him for signing the Treaty on the activity of the Catholic Church in Brazil.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Melissa Butz
