Speaking in French today, Pope Francis gave his talk in Italian outlined to the world's diplomats the mission of his pontificate: building peace AND constructing bridges of dialogue, combatting spiritual AND material poverty. This is part 2 of his "pontifical program of ministry." The Pontiff met the more than 180 accredited diplomats in Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican.
World map of the Vatican foreign relations; dark green: diplomatic relations, light green: other relations, gray: no official relations (credit: Wikipedia)
Your presence here in such numbers is a sign that the relations between your countries and the Holy See are fruitful, that they are truly a source of benefit to mankind. That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every person upon this earth! And it is with this understanding that the Bishop of Rome embarks upon his ministry, in the knowledge that he can count on the friendship and affection of the countries you represent, and in the certainty that you share this objective. At the same time, I hope that it will also be an opportunity to begin a journey with those few countries that do not yet have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, some of which were present at the Mass for the beginning of my ministry, or sent messages as a sign of their closeness - for which I am truly grateful.
