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SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert and his wife, Jeanette, met briefly with Pope Francis at Vatican City Wednesday as part of Herbert's 11-day European trade mission to improve trade relations between the state and Europe.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Herbert said he was "humbled" by the experience.
"The First Lady of Utah and I were humbled by the once in a lifetime experience to have a brief exchange with His Holiness, Pope Francis I. As the worldwide leader of 1.2 billion Christians, arguably one of the most recognizable figures in the world, it was an awesome experience to be acknowledged by him. He was also aware of our state and our unique religious history," Herbert said in the statement.
He also posted a photo of himself and his wife with Pope Francis on Twitter. He wrote in the tweet that the meeting happened aside from economic development meetings in Rome, adding: “Grateful for his strong moral leadership.”
"We expressed our gratitude to him for the great service he renders to the peoples of the world, and thanked him for his strong moral leadership," Herbert said. "On behalf of the people of Utah, we shared a piece of hand-painted Native American pottery with him. He was most appreciative. It has been said that all roads lead to Rome. We took one and had the choice opportunity to meet with the Pope.”
Took a break from economic development meetings in Rome today to pay our respects to the Holy Father @Pontifex. Grateful for his strong moral leadership. pic.twitter.com/msiutwxI5N
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) June 19, 2019
Herbert's visit comes on the heels of a meeting between Pope Francis and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson at the Vatican in March.
The two church leaders conferred on the "importance of religious liberty, the importance of the family, our mutual concern for the youth of the church, for the secularization of the world and the need for people to come to God and worship Him, pray to Him and have the stability that faith in Jesus Christ will bring in their lives," President Nelson said at the time.
Herbert’s trip began Friday with a visit to a Swiss rail company. He’s also met with officials at the Paris Air Show.
"Aerospace is an important part of our economy, and creates opportunities for more Utahns to thrive. Today, at the #ParisAirShow I met with some of the top executives from aerospace companies,” Herbert tweeted on Tuesday. “We reminded them why Utah is an ideal place to locate and expand their businesses.”
Herbert is expected to return to Utah on Saturday.
