Numerous heads of state the world over would cherish the opportunity to have a private audience with Pope Benedict xvi for even five minutes. The pontiff’s ambitious schedule, however, dictates that he meet only with those whom he considers to be of the highest priority. One of these “highest priority” personages is apparently former Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber—to whom the pope recently gave a 45-minute private audience in the Apostolic Palace.

According to the German-language Kathnews website, the pope welcomed Stoiber and his wife to his official Vatican residence on December 11. The exact content of what they talked about for 45 minutes in unknown, but Stoiber’s past meetings with the pope have always centered on political, social and ethical issues. The relationship between these two men dates back to the time when then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was serving as the archbishop of Munich, Stoiber’s hometown in Bavaria.

Stoiber and Benedict are two men the Trumpet has closely watched for several years. Benedict has made it no secret that he wants to revive Catholicism’s influence in Europe, while Stoiber has made it quite clear he is a staunch supporter of the Vatican. Stoiber currently has no portfolio in the German government. He serves as the anti-bureaucracy chairman within the European Commission. Yet he is one of only a few men to be granted an extended private audience with the most powerful man in the world’s largest single religion.

As the Trumpetdeclared just after Benedict’s election as pope, “Now that a Bavarian pope reigns in the Vatican, we must wonder how Europe would change were a Bavarian premier to take the German chancellorship—or, more significantly, a position at the top of the European Union. We have been looking for a strong church-state connection to take hold in Europe, steered by the Vatican and Germany. Would it not be natural for these two powerful men—both from the same religiously charged region in Germany—to make this happen?”

For more information on Edmund Stoiber and his relationship with Pope Benedict, read “Why You Should Watch Edmund Stoiber” and “A Relationship to Watch.”