Local media said the meeting addressed early in the process of legalization of abortion in the South American state and a possible visit to that country of the Pope in 2016.

At the meeting, Bachelet gave the Bishop of Rome a string of lapis lazuli, made of silver, and the book 'doomsday Iglesias', while Francisco gave to the president a version in Castilian of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

In addition, the Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio handed the Chilean head of state a copper medallion of Saint Marta de Tours, according to a Vatican spokesman quoted by the Roman television.

Bergoglio greeted the 12 members of the delegation accompanying the Chilean president, including the Foreign Minister, Heraldo Muñoz, and the general secretary of the Socialist Party, Isabel Allende, daughter of former President Salvador Allende.

After the meeting with the head of the Catholic Church, Bachelet met with the Vatican secretary of state, Piotro Parolin.

The program of the day also includes attending the opening of the 39th Conference of the UN Organization for Food and Agriculture and a visit to the World Expo in Milan.

The day before, the South American president spoke with her Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, and Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, as well as the heads of the Senate and House of Representatives.

After her arrival last Wednesday in this capital, Bachelet paid tribute to the exiles in this country during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

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