The Zimbabwean president is allowed to meet the Pontiff as EU travel ban does
not apply to the Vatican
Pope Francis met Robert Mugabe on Sunday during a ceremony in Rome to make
saints of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II
The ageing Zimbabwean president, who was with his wife Grace, was among a
number of heads of state to attend the ceremony. He is barred from entering
the European Union because of alleged human rights abuses and vote rigging
at home, but the ban does not apply to Vatican City, which is not a member
of the EU.
President Mugabe, who describes himself as a committed Catholic, also attended
Pope Francis’s inaugural Mass last year, following his election by cardinals
in the secret conclave held in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. He also came to
Rome for Pope John Paul’s funeral in 2005 and for his beatification in 2011.
Last year, the EU suspended sanctions against 81 officials and eight firms in
Zimbabwe, following what it described as a "peaceful" referendum
on a new constitution. However, sanctions remain in place against Mr Mugabe
himself, partly at Britain's insistence.
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