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A procession of Swiss guards escorted Mrs. Merkel and her husband through the Apostolic Palace to the papal office where Pope Francis came out to warmly grasp her hand in both of his and say “Buongiorno.”
She spent some 45 minutes with the Pope and received from him a small bronze copy of the Holy Door, as well as copies of his key documents.
Merkel then met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in Rome before attending a peace prayer at the Colosseum organized by the Rome-based charity Sant’Egidio.
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