The government head was accompanied by his wife Linda Rama, their son Zaho and members of the official delegation. The meeting took place in the Papal Library at the Apostolic Palace.

The Prime Minister took to the social media to share images from the audience on Friday.

As part of the official visit, Rama was also received at the Apostolic Palace by the Prefect of the Papal Household and senior Vatican officials.

Earlier, Rama visited the Shrine of Genazzano, home to the icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which is believed to rest on a fragment taken from the wall of the Church of Shkodra in 1467.

His visit continued at St Peter’s Basilica, including stops at the Stanza delle Lacrime, the Pauline Chapel, the Sala Regia, the Sistine Chapel and the altar of Saint John Paul II.

At the conclusion of their stay in the Vatican, Rama and his wife visited the tomb of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The visit also included meetings with senior Vatican officials, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

1 of 8

/m.m/r.e/u.sh/

Prime Minister Rama subsequently met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Under-Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, at the Secretariat of State.

Talks at Secretariat of State

“The conversations at the Secretariat of State were cordial and issues of common interest concerning relations between the ecclesial community and civil society were discussed,” according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.

Attention, the Vatican communiqué added, was also given to regional issues, “including the situation in the countries of the Western Balkans and Albania’s path toward full integration into the European Union.”

Accompanied by his wife Linda Rama, their son Zaho and an official delegation, Rama began his official visit to the Vatican on Wednesday at the invitation of the Holy See.

The programme includes visits to St Peter’s Basilica, the Stanza delle Lacrime, the Pauline Chapel, the Sala Regia, the Sistine Chapel and the altar of St John Paul II.

At the conclusion of the visit, Rama and his wife are scheduled to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The visit also includes additional meetings, among them talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.

1 of 9

/gj.m/a.f/u.sh/