Pope meets with Canadian official, discusses reason, freedom

Published: 2006-02-27

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As she sat down for a 25-minute private meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Canada's governor general -- who is fluent in five languages -- told the pope, "I hear you speak 10 languages." The pope, looking slightly embarrassed, said, "No, no, maybe three," even though without a text he comfortably speaks German, Italian, French and English. Michaelle Jean, Canada's governor general, met the pope at the Vatican Feb. 27 after attending the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Turin, Italy. The 2010 winter games will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia. After Jean's private conversation with the pope and her meeting with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, the Canadian embassy to the Vatican said the encounters were marked by "sincerity and openness." "It was an opportunity for real dialogue," the embassy statement said. As governor general, Jean serves as the official representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II to Canada.

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