I'm still alive; I'm still alive.
This is how Pope Francis replied when Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, asked him about his health during their meeting less than a week after the Pope was discharged from the hospital.
The Brazilian president was accompanied by First Lady Rosângela da Silva, who gave gifts to the Pope. Among them was the statue of popular Marian devotion in Brazil.
It was the image of Our Lady of Nazareth. Every year in August, there is a procession with the statue of the Virgin from the Cathedral of Sao Paulo to a shrine in the city of Belém-Pará.
In turn, Pope Francis offered them a bronze image inscribed with the words 'Peace is a fragile flower.'
We are in a time of war, and peace is very fragile. I am going to give you this as a gift which we make here in our workshops.
At the end of the meeting, President Lula da Silva met with Bishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretary of State. They discussed the promotion of peace, the fight against poverty and the protection of the environment.
PA
TR: KG
