Pope and Spain's prime minister visit maskless at Vatican
Pope Francis has met with the Spanish prime minister at the Vatican, which has had a rash of COVID-19 infections confirmed in recent days
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pope Francis met with the Spanish prime minister Saturday at the Vatican, which has had a rash of COVID-19 infections confirmed in recent days, but neither man used a face a mask during the public part of their meeting.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wore a mask when he arrived in a Vatican courtyard. But everyone sat unmasked immediately before and after his closed-door talks with Francis at the Apostolic Palace, including during the speech the pontiff gave in Spanish to Sanchez and his entourage.
The Vatican has said 13 Swiss Guards, members of the colorfully attired division of the Holy See’s security operations, recently tested positive for the coronavirus. A person staying at the same guest house in Vatican City where the pope lives also recently tested positive.
Throughout the pandemic, Francis has received world leaders and posed with them for photos, as he did with Sanchez, often posed nearly shoulder-to-shoulder and without wearing a mask.
The Vatican said the Spanish prime minister also held talks with the Holy See’s foreign minister, discussing matters that included “the current health emergency, the process of European integration and migration.”
Spain this week became the first country in Western Europe with more than 1 million confirmed virus cases. Sanchez has said the actual number of infections in his country could be more than triple that but is unknown due to testing gaps.
In his speech, Francis told his Spanish visitors that politics is "an act of charity, nobility, and often leads one to sacrifice one’s life.” He said the mission of a politician is to help a nation to progress. The pontiff also said it was “very sad” when ideologies drive the destiny of a nation.