Emmanuel Macron met Pope Francis for the first time at the Vatican on Tuesday morning. The French president was accompanied by Jean-Yves Le Drian. “He’s a Bretonsaid the French president to the Pope, the Bretons are a bit like the Mafia in France“.
The Festival of Lights 2022 in Lyon
Visiting the Vatican on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron presented his entire delegation, including his wife Brigitte. He was accompanied by his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The president introduced his minister to Pope Francis: “He’s a Breton… There are Bretons everywhere… Bretons are a bit like the Mafia in France.“
Jean-Yves Le Drian smiled, adding “moral, moral“, implying that it was a mafia on a moral level, only.
The President concluded with a thumbs-up: “but they are very good“.
An astonishing, even awkward exit
Pope Francis remained unmoved during this very astonishing exchange under the golds of the Vatican. He was not moved by these Franco-French and internal subtleties to the many Bretons who surround Emmanuel Macron.
The sovereign pontiff has always denounced the mafia in Italy. “Mafiosi have no place in the Church.“, he said during a mass in 2015. He also often called the mafias “authentic social wounds“.
Since the release of Emmanuel Macron, the reactions of Bretons fuse on social networks. Rather hostile reactions to the President, a few days after his visit to Brittany.
