SW News: Pope Francis met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and discussed a wide range of issues in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Wednesday.  Among the subjects covered was the significance of the Holy See's diplomatic ties with Cuba and the historic visit of Pope St. John Paul II in 1998, which was brought up in the year of its 25th anniversary.

According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, they discussed the state of the nation and what the Church may do, particularly in terms of charity. The statement concluded with the significance of continuing to advance the common good as well as certain international matters of mutual interest.

As part of the trip to Europe from June 20 to June 24, President Dáz-Canel Bermudez will also meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and take part in the summit for a new World Financial Pact in Paris on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will also make a weeklong journey to Europe. He will meet with Pope Francis and take part in the New Global Financing Pact summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. President Lula met the Pope in early 2020. He is expected to invite the Holy Father to the Círio de Nazaré, a huge Catholic festival held every October in the Amazonian city of Belém

President Lula has traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan since taking office on January 1. The president will also have separate meetings with Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian President Sergio Matarella on Wednesday. He will go to the French-organized conference on Thursday, which aims to build a new bridge between the countries of the North and the South to address climate change and the global crisis.

Brazilian President Lula is scheduled to have a business lunch with French President Macron on Friday. The planned provisions of the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur have recently drawn criticism from both presidents. One of the primary barriers to the agreement has been the French agricultural lobby, which also contributes to Europeans' rising environmental expectations.