It was a brief meeting, a few seconds, on Tuesday at the Vatican where the exchange between the new Pontiff and Costa Rica’s presidenta took place, among the usual exchange of greetings and protocol.
Doña Laura Chinchilla Miranda was in Rome to attend the inauguration of Pope Francis I. After the brief meeting the Presidenta said the new Pope conveyed great serenity.
After the meeting doña Laura tweeted, “Mi saludo al Papa: Afectuosos saludos de un pueblo q ha crecido en el espíritu franciscano. Un pueblo humilde, protector de la naturaleza”. (My greetings to the Pope: “Warm greetings from a humble village that has grown in the Franciscan spirit. A humble people, protector of nature).
The exchange took place minutes before 5:00am Costa Rica time and broadcast on national television. Teletica ran the broadcast, though without audio.
More than 100.000 people packed St. Peters Square for the first mass of the new Pope.
