Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has gifted Pope Francis with a sculpture by Lusaka based artist and Munali Boys Secondary School teacher Sydney Siansangu.

Hichilema presented the gift to Pope on Saturday after an audience with head of the Catholic Church across the world in Vatican.

“We discussed matters of mutual interest with His Holiness and expressed our deep gratitude to the Catholic Church for its unwavering commitment to the development of Zambia and it’s citizens in all areas of human endeavours, for almost 130 years it has been operating in Zambia.

“Of particular interest to Zambians is that Pope Francis comes from the Jesuit order, a branch of the Catholic clerics that has had a profound influence on Zambia’s education system for over a century,” wrote Hichilema

He added: “We therefore reiterated our resolve to working with the Church back home in fostering development and improving our people’s livelihoods.

“We also stressed our view that we will continue embracing all religious faiths in Zambia.”

Meanwhile, Hichilema has arrived back in Zambia.