Vatican representatives said that the meeting between Pope Francis and the leader of the Greek main opposition party (SYRIZA) Alexis Tsipras had no political significance.

It is noted that Pope acknowledged Alexis Tsipras as a man who is engaged with “humanitarian and social issues”.

The press office of Vatican stressed to protothema.gr that the meeting between Pope Francis and Alexis Tsipras was not politically motivated and Focolare movement helped to organize it. As the Vatican press office stated “Alexis Tsipras and Walter Baier were not received by Pope as politicians, but as people who are concerned and are engaged with humanitarian and social issues”.

However, members of Left Ecology Freedom implied that the meeting bore a political significance with Masimilano Smerilio describing the meeting on Twitter as an “extremely important event,” and speaking of a “dialogue between different cultures that have a common goal: the fight against poverty”.

At the same time, The Other Europe with Tsipras stated a day before the meeting that was the first time the Catholic Church met a European leader of the radical Left.

However, according to newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Pope Francis, who has said that he had never been a supporter of the right, marked the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between church and the European Left on peace, environmental protection and poverty issues.

It was a “private” meeting and the two men focused on “social and humanitarian issues,” said Vatican Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.