Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made an unannounced trip to the Vatican on Monday and held talks with Pope Francis, who urged the embattled leader to be open to dialogue to solve the crisis in his country.

 

A Vatican statement said the private, evening meeting with the pope "took place in the framework of the worrying situation of the political, economic and social crisis that the country is going through and which is weighing heavily on the entire population".

 

It said the pope, an Argentine, had urged the president to "courageously take up the path of sincere and constructive dialogue". The visit to the Vatican by Maduro, who has been on a tour of oil-producing countries, was not previously announced.