Pope Francis And PNoy Exchange Gifts In Malacanang Courtesy Call Â
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In a courtesy call to Malacanang Friday, the Supreme Pontiff met President Benigno Aquino and other public officials, where Pope Francis also delivered his first public speech in the country.
President Aquino presented Pope Francis with a gift, a sculpture of Mary, Undoer of Knots, carved from a century-old acacia wood that fell during typhoon Glenda. The intricate sculpture was carved by Fred Baldemor of Paete, Laguna.
Photo by Fred Baldemor
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According to Malacanang, the Pope has a special devotion to Mary, a “refuge of so many who entrust the knots in their life, the struggles they confront, to the care of our mother.”
In addition, the President also presented His Holiness P500 and P50 commemorative coins that bore the image of the Pope.
In return, Pope Francis also gifted the President with a very special gift: a copy of an atlas from the Vatican Library, containing a 16th-century world map.
Photo courtesy of Catholic News Agency
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According to the Catholic News Agency, “One of only 50 copies of the original atlas in the world, the volume contains 14 nautical maps in color on parchment. The original atlas can be dated to 1562 and was purchased by the Vatican Library in 1657. It is attributed to the mapmaker Bartolomé Oliva, from the Mediterranean island of Majorca.”
Pope Francis arrived in the Philippines on Thursday, January 15. He is set to return to Vatican City January 19.
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Pope Francis And PNoy Exchange Gifts In Malacanang Courtesy Call
