Pope Francis received Umaro Sissoco Embaló, president of Guinea-Bissau since 2020, on January 29—less than two months after he dissolved the nation’s parliament.
“The Pope and President discussed the social situation in the country, especially the Church’s contribution to the common good, especially in the fields of education and health,” Vatican News, the agency of the Dicastery for Communication, reported.
In Embaló’s subsequent meeting with the Holy See’s Secretary of State and Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, “the good relations between the Holy See and Guinea Bissau were highlighted [and] certain aspects of the social situation in the country were discussed,” according to a Vatican statement.
The West African nation of 2.1 million (map) is 46% Muslim, 40% ethnic religionist, and 13% Christian (9% Catholic).