Pope Leo XIV received on Saturday (November 8) South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in South Africa's first high-level engagement with the newly appointed pontiff of the Catholic Church.

During their meeting at the Vatican, the two leaders were expected to address the issues of humanitarian aid, climate justice, emergency response, and peace building.

Ramaphosa presented the pope with two books on two icons of his country, former President Nelson Mandela and the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Leo reciprocated by offering a sculpture representing intergenerational dialogue, a photo album of the Apostolic Palace, and a message of peace delivered by his predecessor, Pope Francis, on January 1.

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, becoming the first U.S.-born leader of the 1.4-billion Catholic Church.

South Africa, which Ramaphosa has been leading since 2018, formally established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1994.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VATICAN CITY (NOVEMBER 8, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

1. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SHAKING HANDS WITH POPE LEO

2. RAMAPHOSA AND POPE POSING FOR PHOTOS / RAMAPHOSA AND POPE TAKING SEATS

3. RAMAPHOSA AND POPE POSING FOR PHOTOS

4. RAMAPHOSA PRESENTING POPE WITH BOOKS ON FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, NELSON MANDELA, AND ARCHBISHOP, DESMOND TUTU

5. POPE SPEAKING TO RAMAPHOSA

6. SCULPTURE DEPICTING DIALOGUE BETWEEN GENERATIONS, PRESENTED BY POPE TO RAMAPHOSA

7. POPE PRESENTING RAMAPHOSA WITH MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM LATE POPE FRANCIS

8. POPE LEAFING THROUGH PHOTO ALBUM

9. POPE AND RAMAPHOSA POSING FOR PHOTOS ALONGSIDE SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION

10. POPE AND RAMAPHOSA SAYING GOODBYE / RAMAPHOSA LEAVING