Accompanying Zuckerberg on the trip was his wife Priscilla Chan, with the couple also detailing their venture philanthropy projects.
Unlike his contemporaries, who arrived at the Vatican empty-handed, Zuckerberg turned up to the meeting with a gift for the Pope. But what do you give a man who has publicly denounced material possessions, claiming that they rob people of their humanity? Judging by that statement, it was probably a wise idea on Cook’s part not to gift the Pontiff an Apple Watch.
Zuckerberg gave the Pope a model of his company’s internet-serving drone, known as Aquila. Facebook’s real-life UAV recently completed its first test flight, and the company’s goal is to eventually fly the drones for three months at a time around locations where internet connectivity is scarce.
Pope Francis has previously declared the internet a “gift from God,” and emphasized the importance of building a connected society that is “healthy and open to sharing.” Judging by the photo shared by Zuckerberg, the Pope (pictured receiving the model from the Facebook CEO with a smile on his face) seemed pleased with the gift.
Writing about the experience in a Facebook post, Zuckerberg made parallels between the Pope’s mission of “communicating” with people around the world and his company’s goal of providing internet access to underserved regions.
“Priscilla and I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. We told him how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness,” states Zuckerberg. “It was a meeting we’ll never forget. You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people.”
