Pope meets founder of Facebook

Pricilla Chan & Mark Zuckerberg, Prague 2013. Image: Lukasz Porwol

Pope Francis met with Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, in a private audience in the Vatican today.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said: "They spoke about how to use communication technologies to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and help deliver a message of hope, especially to those people who are most disadvantaged."

Zuckerberg's visit to Italy, was announced following last week's devastating earthquake. After discussing the importance of connecting people in the world without internet access, the CEO presented the Holy Father with a model of Facebook's solar-powered Aquila aircraft, designed to beam internet access to those areas of the world that are lacking connectivity.

Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page: "Priscilla and I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. We told him how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness, and how he's found new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world.

"We also discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access. We gave him a model of Aquila, our solar-powered aircraft that will beam internet connectivity to places that don't have it. And we shared our work with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to help people around the world.

"It was a meeting we'll never forget. You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people."

As part of the trip, Zuckerberg also met with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to discuss the earthquake, the economy, and technology's impact on job creation, among other things. The CEO hosted a Townhall Q&A in Rome, which was live-streamed on his Facebook page.

Pope Benedict was the first pontiff to have a Twitter account. Pope Francis has one also, with more than 9.7 million followers. His Instagram account opened in March this year, has already attracted over 3 million followers.

Source: Vatican Press Office/Facebook