Vatican City - Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary, Luis Videgaray Caso, met with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Monday. The meeting, which ran 40 minutes longer than scheduled, included a broad range of subjects, from Latin American regional concerns, to cultural initiatives to mark the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mexico.

Following the meeting, Videgaray told Vatican Radio he was especially happy for the opportunity to convey to Cardinal Parolin the gratitude of his government and of the people of his country for the prayerful and concrete solidarity the Holy See showed to Mexico in the wake of the two major earthquakes that struck in September.

"We ... expressed how thankful we are, after the earthquakes that happened in Mexico last month, when His Holiness, the Pope – and the Vatican – expressed not only condolences, but also warm shows of appreciation towards Mexico, and also help – specific help – that the Vatican sent to Mexico," he said, referring to the $150 thousand donation Pope Francis made to relief efforts following the 7.1-magnitude quake that struck on Tuesday, September 19th, killing more than 250 people and causing extensive damage in and around the nation's capital, as well as his appeals to the international community for timely shows of effective solidarity at the General Audience the following day.

On the cultural side of things, Videgaray reported pleasure at being able to present a major art exhibit called, in Spanish, Da Pedro a Francisco – 'From Peter to Francis,' celebrating a quarter-century of restored diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Holy See. "These have been 25 years of a special relationship, in which the friendship, the closeness, is evident – and we look forward to strengthening this relationship," he said.