Pope Francis caused controversy on his first official day in ministry as he met and shook hands with Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe during his inaugural Mass in the Vatican today.
Pope Francis bows his head for the 89-year-old Zimbabwean despot as they meet at St Peter’s Basilica during the inaugural Mass
President Mugabe, who has been under a European Union travel ban since 2002 because of allegations of human rights abuses and vote rigging, was sitting
in the VIP section during the installation ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, and later received a personal greeting from the new pontiff.
Vatican officials tried to play down the infringement of the travel ban on the 89-year-old leader today, claiming all Catholics were welcome to the inauguration and that no personal invitations had been issued prior to the ceremony.
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