"I also know that the authorities, these people, love Pope Francis very much and it is well reciprocated because I can say, with certainty, because the Pope himself told me, that he prays for these people, I would like to visit this country, but we know that it is not always very easy to carry out all this, perhaps if a pontiff visit can be carried out in the future", he said, in statements to the press at the end of the meeting, cited by Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA).
At the hearing, according to a note from the Vice-Presidency of the Republic, to which VerAngola had access, the Apostolic Nuncio of Angola and Tomé and Príncipe, who is at the end of his mission after a mandate of three and a half years, "presented greetings farewell to Esperança da Costa, and spoke of the excellent cooperative relations with the Angolan State, especially with regard to humanitarian initiatives, inter-religious dialogue, promotion of peace and social justice".
On the occasion, Dom Giovanni Gaspari stated that he had carried out a "remarkable and satisfactory" mission, leaving the country with "a feeling of duty accomplished".
According to the statement, the official has "expressed his desire to see" the Supreme Pontiff come to the celebrations of the country's 50th anniversary of National Independence.
"Appointed by Pope Francis to the same position in Korea and Mongolia, replacing Dom Alfred Xuereb, Dom Geovanni Gaspari has also expressed his desire to see Pope Francis come to the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the National Independence of Angola, in November of next year", reads the statement, which adds that "recently, he promised the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, to get this message to the Supreme Pontiff".
