President Cyril Ramaphosa has met His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, in Rome, where he called for a renewed global spirit of solidarity, equality, and justice in the face of rising conflict, deepening inequality, and environmental crisis.
Ramaphosa arrived in Rome on Friday morning for a working visit to the Holy See, accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and his daughter, Keneilwe Ramaphosa. It was South Africa’s first high-level engagement with Pope Leo XIV, who was appointed Pontiff in May following the passing of Pope Francis.
According to the Presidency, the visit serves to strengthen cooperation between South Africa and the Holy See in areas such as humanitarian aid, climate justice, emergency response, and peace building.
The Holy See has diplomatic ties with over 180 countries and observer status at major international bodies like the United Nations, and holds significant global influence through its moral, religious, and diplomatic authority.
During his address to Pope Leo XIV, President Ramaphosa thanked the pontiff for his warm welcome to the “Eternal City and the heart of the Catholic faith,” and conveyed the good wishes of the government and people of South Africa.
“We meet at a time when humanity faces immense challenges. To many, it seems easier to fund wars than to invest in peace. Conflicts across the globe are dividing societies and inflicting untold destruction. These global challenges cannot be resolved by nations acting alone; only through solidarity and multilateralism,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the world was being tested by rising economic inequality, which continues to rise, stifling opportunity and hindering shared prosperity, while the planet itself was strained by the current modes of production and consumption, which threaten the survival of generations to come.
Ramaphosa said these immense trials required humanity to think beyond the immediate and commit to sustainable solutions, and urged world leaders to summon “a new global spirit.”
“Through our G20 Presidency, South Africa sees an opportunity to promote solidarity that advances the common good. This is a moment to forge greater equality, empowering the marginalised, unlocking human potential and ensuring justice for all,” he said.
The president said the pursuit of a just and sustainable world must be grounded in “unified action and innovation” that prioritised people and the planet over profit.
He commended Pope Leo XIV for his leadership in promoting spiritual and moral guidance in world affairs, noting that the passing of Pope Francis earlier this year had been “a great loss to the world.”
“Holy Father, your election as successor to St Peter has provided hope and encouragement. “Faith-based communities have been at the forefront of our struggle for democracy, human rights and social justice,” said Ramaphosa.
He said as South Africa prepared to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit later this month under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” the country would draw on its philosophy of Ubuntu — the recognition of shared humanity — to guide discussions on global reform.
“We will prioritise pressing issues, such as inequality, food security and the social, economic and environmental development of Africa and the Global South. Solidarity has been a defining characteristic of human development. The human impulse is not towards isolation, but towards community. We are drawn to one another, to conversation, to shared labour,” said the president.
He added: “It is through this solidarity that the strong discover their true strength: not in dominion, but in lifting up the weak. So too must the wealthy nations embrace their duty to the poor, in health, in education and in security, not as an act of charity, but to build a just world.”
Ramaphosa also addressed the urgency of tackling climate change and debt burdens that chain successive generations to poverty.
“At the heart of all our endeavours must lie a relentless pursuit of equality. From the suffering in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the anguish in Ukraine and Palestine, our conscience must be consistent. We must strive for peace and justice wherever human lives are held captive by war,” he said.
Reflecting on South Africa’s own journey, Ramaphosa said the nation’s heritage of dialogue and reconciliation had equipped it to help bridge divides in the global arena.
“South Africa, born from the wisdom of dialogue and the grace of reconciliation, carries a unique heritage,” he said. “It is our knowledge that even the bitterest of enemies can sit at a common table that we offer to the world,” said Ramaphosa.
He said South Africa would continue to help facilitate dialogue and recovery in communities shattered by the scourge of war and famine, adding that “our freedom, our security and our prosperity are bound together. To ignore the plight of any is to ultimately endanger the future of all.”
Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to equality, justice and peace, and recognised the critical leadership role of the Holy See in human affairs.
He praised Pope Leo XIV’s call for “dignified, prosperous coexistence” and said it echoed South Africa’s G20 agenda for a fairer global economy.
“In addressing the global prosperity deficit, the Jubilee Commission Report and the Church’s calls for reforms to the international financial system resonate deeply with our agenda at the G20 and our mission as a nation,” Ramaphosa said.
He highlighted that many African countries spend more on servicing debt than on education or healthcare, and urged innovative financial instruments and reforms to the global financial system.
“Through our G20 Presidency, working with all other nations, we hope to move towards a fairer, more just and equitable world order — with none believing that they are better or greater than the other,” he said.
Ramaphosa extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit South Africa, joining the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in extending the invitation.
“We would be greatly honoured to host you in our beautiful country. It is a great blessing for us to be here and walk through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica during this Jubilee Year of Hope. I will carry these blessings and spirit of hope back to our people in South Africa.”
South Africa and the Vatican formally established diplomatic relations in 1994 and have maintained what the Presidency described as “warm and respectful relations” ever since.
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