Vatican City, Jan 29, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Pope Benedict XVI met quietly last Friday with Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the opposition Popular Party of Spain, to discuss moral and ethical issues in light of the current political and social situation in the country.
According to the EFE news agency, “the defense of the human person and the family, the right of parents to choose the kind of education their children receive, and respect for ethical values were some of the issues discussed.”
Rajoy was accompanied by his wife, Elvira Fernandez, and two other officials of the Popular Party, Jorge Moragas and Jorge Fernandez.
Pope Benedict first met privately with the Popular Party leader and later with his entire entourage. Rajoy gave the Pope a copy of the program from an exposition on Queen Isabel the Catholic, which was held in the Cathedral of Toledo in 2005 to mark the 500th anniversary of her death.
Pope Benedict XVI gave the opposition leader a set of Pontifical medals and a special rosary to his wife.