Pope Francis met with Polish President Andrzej Duda ahead of next year's World Youth Day celebration in Krakow, Poland.
The President is known to be a devout Catholic, and he was visibly moved by meeting the Pope. He greeted him in Italian.
'Good morning.â?
When they sat down to meet and the noise from several cameras filled the room, the two shared a laugh.
'A little photography.â?
World Youth Day 2016 will take place in the Polish city of Krakow next July. They discussed the upcoming event, along with the relationship between the Church and Polish society.
Other issues almost came up during the meeting: the conflict in Ukraine, ongoing violence in the Middle East, and the refugee crisis.
The two exchanged gifts after their private talks. Pope Francis gave the President a St. Martin medallion, along with a Polish-language copy of his encyclical. The Pope received an image of Mary and Jesus from Poland.
'He brought the Mother.â?
As they departed, Pope Francis asked the President's wife and daughter to pray for him.
'Pray for me.â?
'Pray for me.â?
He then stopped and had a longer conversation with the President.
'Thank you so much. It was a joy to meet you. I will pray for you, and you will pray for me.â?
'And it was a joy for me personally, in my heart, my Holy Father.â?
The president told the Pope he was looking forward to seeing him again in Poland next year. And with that, he left the room and their emotional meeting came to an end.
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