Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, accompanied by Card. Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, and by Fr. Nicola Riccardi, Undersecretary of the Dicastery, met with Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-Assad in Damascus this morning. The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, reports that, during the meeting, Card. Turkson gave the Head of State a letter from the Holy Father, which expressed “the deep concern of His Holiness Pope Francis for the humanitarian situation in Syria, particularly for the dreadful living conditions of civilians in Idlib”.