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The former prime minister of New Zealand Sir John Key met with the Pope in a private audience earlier this year.
Key met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in what he described as a “remarkable experience”.
He gave the details of the meeting, which were published in NZ Catholic, at a charity event in Auckland last month.
According to NZ Catholic Key met with the Francis because of his connections with the ISPS Handa Foundation.
The Pope had asked to meet the foundation’s founder, Dr Haruhisa Handa.
Handa asked Key, who is a patron of the charity, to attend the meeting too.
“He is a fabulous man,” Key said of the Pope. “I have a lot of respect for him and the work he does. Personally, I think he is a great Pope.
“We did have an opportunity to discuss what is happening in the world and various different things, he was amazing.”
Key told the anecdote while giving the keynote address for Auckland diocese Catholic Caring Foundation annual dinner.
The former prime minister told those gathered he was not overly religious, but had great respect for the church, according to NZ Catholic.
The Handa Foundation is a non-religious, non-political, not-for-profit organisation with the mission of building hospitals and schools in various countries of Southeast Asia.
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