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STORY: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday (June 17) for talks on political and social issues.
The pontiff and Maduro discussed how to deal with the problem of poverty and the fight against crime and drug trafficking.
Nicolas Maduro, who was elected in April after the death of leader Hugo Chavez from cancer, has vowed to extend his predecessor's 14-year self-styled revolution that enjoyed strong support among the country's poor.
So far relations between the Catholic Church and Maduro have not been overly friendly and Pope Francis stressed the important role of the Catholic Church within society during their meeting.
Maduro has called on his political rivals to work towards reconciliation following his rise to power.
