Pope Leo XIV received President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday in South Africa’s first high-level engagement with the newly appointed pontiff of the Catholic Church.

During their meeting at the Vatican, the two leaders were expected to address the issues of humanitarian aid, climate justice, emergency response, and peace building.

Ramaphosa presented the pope with two books on two icons of his country, former President Nelson Mandela and the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Leo reciprocated by offering a sculpture representing intergenerational dialogue, a photo album of the Apostolic Palace and a message of peace delivered by his predecessor, Pope Francis, on January 1.

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, becoming the first US-born leader of the 1.4-billion Catholic Church.

South Africa, which Ramaphosa has been leading since 2018, formally established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1994.