Pope Francis has called for greater efforts to sow peace in the Caucasus region, subtly acknowledging Georgia's ongoing territorial dispute with Russia.
Shortly after arriving in Tbilisi at the start of his 16th foreign trip, the Pope met Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili privately and, with the president, he addressed a small gathering of civic leaders and members of the diplomatic corps outside the presidential palace.
In a nation where more than 230,000 people are still displaced by the ongoing Georgian-Russian dispute over control of South Ossetia, the Pope said it was time to find a way for the displaced to return to their homes and for respect for the "sovereign rights" of each nation. Only Russia and a handful of other nations recognise the supposed independence of South Ossetia.
