The president, who took office in August 2005, paid an introductory visit to the Pope. The audience was scheduled to last for 15 minutes, with the Pope and the president consulting in German without an interpreter.
After the meeting, Sólyom held talks with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, head of the Secretariat of State (effectively prime minister) of the Vatican. In the afternoon, the Hungarian president is scheduled to visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Sólyom presented a rare 18th-century book to the Pontiff.
