Pope Francis visited the offices of the Vatican Secretariat of State April 12, thanking the employees for their hard work and for their dedication to the church.
With close to 300 employees, the Secretariat of State is divided into two sections: a larger division devoted to internal church affairs and a smaller one that tracks international affairs, oversees the Vatican’s diplomatic relations and coordinates with apostolic nuncios all over the world.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope met all the employees in the secretariat’s library — the biggest room in the office.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state, assured the pope of the dedicated service of all the bishops, priests, religious men and women and lay people who work there.
The pope responded briefly by thanking the employees for their warm welcome and “for all the work they performed in this period, recalling that tomorrow will mark a month since his election.”
Pope Francis personally greeted each of the employees, Father Lombardi said. The visit lasted about 50 minutes. – CNS