President Petr Pavel to meet Pope Leo XIV during Vatican visit

President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva will visit the Vatican on Monday, January 19, where they will be received by Pope Leo the Fourteenth, the presidential office announced on Thursday. President Pavel will also meet the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Pope Leo the Fourteenth was elected last May. President Pavel later invited him to visit Czechia, saying he believed the new pope would be a strong voice for those facing oppression, injustice and suffering caused by unjust aggression.

Last year, President Pavel also criticised a treaty between Czechia and the Vatican on the status of the Catholic Church. In a submission to the Constitutional Court, he said the agreement was unconstitutional and granted the Church a privileged position. A group of senators asked the court to review the treaty last March over possible human rights concerns.