Baroness Thatcher proves she still packs a political punch after the BBC reports that The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI met with her following his weekly audience. The Vatican stated that the event was not an official private audience but rather a mark of the Pope’s personal respect for Baroness Thatcher. The visit was arranged by Thatcher former Foreign Policy chief, Charles Powell, who she is staying with in Italy on her summer break. Usually the pontiff only grants such meetings to serving politicians and heads of state but despite the fact Baroness Thatcher has retired from public life the Pope still made time for a private conversation. Before her meeting with the Pope, Lady Thatcher paid a private visit to the Vatican crypt where her ideological soulmate Pope John Paul II is buried. She left a wreath of white roses on his tomb with a message that read: “To a man of faith and courage”.
