VATICAN CITY–Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised Pope Benedict XVI as a moral and humanitarian leader after a private audience at the Vatican today.

The meeting, which took place in the papal library, lasted about 20 minutes.

"It was an honour to meet Pope Benedict and hear his perspective on a number of important issues, including human rights and an ethical response to the global economic crisis," said Harper in a written release following the meeting.

"I expressed my deep appreciation for the Holy Father's moral and humanitarian leadership as an advocate of human dignity, peace and religious liberty, and for the spiritual leadership he provides to Catholics in Canada and throughout the world."

The statement of recognition of the pope's stature as a leader is likely to be welcomed by Catholic Canadians, said Deborah Gyapong, a reporter for the Canadian Catholic News who covered the event.

"That is going to be very significant to Canadian Catholics because it shows the regard and stature of the Holy Father even for evangelicals, like Prime Minister Stephen Harper."

"There's probably no other Christian leader with the theological and intellectual heft and gravitas," she added.

Harper is an evangelical Protestant, who is a member of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church.

Gyapong said there was much interest in the meeting that coincided with the release on the eve of the G8 of a major papal encyclical on "Charity in Truth."

That document, the third encyclical of Benedict's papacy discussed the need for a strong ethical basis for the market economy and discussed the environment and food security.

The pontiff is the head of the world's more than one billion Catholics. Harper's release said Catholic Canadians number more than 14 million, although the number has generally been pegged lower than that, at about 13 million.

Gyapong said Catholic Canadians have traditionally voted Liberal, although they tend to hold a range of views on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion.,

She suggested Harper sought an audience with the Pope more out of interest in canvassing the views of a global leader, not because there may be any political advantage.

Harper and the pontiff exchanged gifts.

The Canadian prime minister presented the pope with a 24-inch gold coloured glass vase with gold filigree around the rim by glass blower Andrew Kuntz, a teacher at Sheridan College.

The pope gave him a white leather box containing a glass fountain pen, made by the Vatican Museum. It reproduces one of the four columns of the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica.

It was the same gift offered to U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Harper's wife Laureen and his children Ben and Rachel joined the prime minister and the pontiff after the private audience.

Harper introduced other members of the Canadian delegation, including Industry Minister Tony Clement, Conservative Sen. Consiglio Di Nino, two MPs Paul Calandra and Dean Del Mastro, Harper's chief of staff Guy Giorno, and press secretary Dimitri Soudas.

After the departure of the Harpers, the Pope greeted the Canadian pool reporters and photographers who had covered the event.

The prime minister then met with Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.

Soudas told reporters by email they discussed human rights and religious freedoms, and a range of international issues from Africa, to the G8 summit that just ended in L'Aquila, and climate change – a focus of the G8 in the past week.

At St. Peter's Basilica, the Harpers viewed the tomb of John Paul II, the ancient tomb of St. Peter, Michelangelo's Pieta, and sculptures by Bernini and other great artists.

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Harper's audience with the Pope had been preceeded by an awkward controversy that tailed him to Italy this past week over whether he had failed to consume a communion host that he was offered during the funeral of former governor general Romeo Leblanc.

Harper angrily responded on Friday that the story was "absurd" and "unsubstantiated."

"As a Christian, I have never refused communion when offered to me. That's actually pretty important to me."

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