ROME (via PLDT) -- Pope Benedict XVI welcomed on Monday the abolition of the death penalty in the Philippines, saying the move was "well done."

The Holy Pontiff expressed his appreciation for the scrapping of the capital punishment in the Philippines during his meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at 12 noon Monday (6 p.m. Manila time) at the Papal Library in the Pontifical Palace.

"Well done," the Holy Father said when the President presented him with a book-bound copy of Republic Act (RA) 9346 abolishing the 1994 law (RA 7659) imposing the capital punishment for certain heinous crimes.

Upon arrival at the courtyard of Saint Damasus in the Vatican compound, she was accorded arrival honors befitting a visiting head of state by the Pontifical Swiss guards.

After the arrival honors, the Chief Executive was escorted by the Swiss guards and Vatican protocol officials to her meeting with the Pope.

The Pope received her at a room adjoining the papal library, and together, they walked together to the library, which has served as the traditional venue for papal meetings with heads of state.

In the exchange of gifts, the President presented her host with a hard-bound copy of the new law abolishing the death penalty and an image of Nuestra Senora de Guia as her gift to the Pontiff.

For his part, Pope Benedict gave the President a religious book and other religious mementoes of the Vatican.

With the President were First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, Ambassador to the Holy See Leonida Vera, the First Couple’s children, Evangelina Lourdes Arroyo, Diosdado Dato Arroyo and his wife Maria Victoria Celina Manotok-Arroyo, Eva Victoria Arroyo, Mrs. Georgina de Venecia, wife of Speaker Jose de Venecia, Mrs. Lovely Rose Romulo, wife of DFA Secretary Romulo, Rufino Luis Manotok, Maria Aurelia Cynthia Manotok and Juris Soliman.

ROME (via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo invited Monday Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Philippines and retrace the trail-blazing journey of the late Pope John Paul ll who visited her country in 1981 and 1995.

The President told a Filipino broadcast journalist accompanying the presidential official trip to Italy that she extended the open invitation to the Pope during her private audience with the Pontiff Monday noon (June 26, 6:00 p.m. Manila time) at the Holy See.

The Chief Executive arrived here Sunday evening on the first leg of a two-nation official trip to boost trade, tourism, labor and diplomatic relations between the Philippines and her host nations.

"I have invited the Pope to visit the Philippines," the President said, sounding every bit cheerful and confident.

During her 20-minute meeting with the Pope at the Papal Library in the Vatican, she found the Pontiff very encouraging in his support for the solution of the problems of the Philippines, particularly poverty, terrorism and partisanship.

She said that Pope Benedict XVl was well-informed about events unfolding in the Philippines, including her campaign to abolish the death penalty and improve the lives of Filipinos through the government’s sustained efforts to address poverty.

"He is keenly interested in the Philippines and is up-to-date on developments in the country. He is happy that peace will finally dawn on Mindanao," the President said.

She added that she discussed with the Pope various problems besetting the Philippines, including politics, the campaign against terrorists, the decades-old secessionist movement in Mindanao, and found him supportive of the tough reforms she has instituted.

The President said she also discussed with the Pontiff the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Rome. She thanked the Italian government for giving OFWs a fair share in terms of salaries and treatment.

Filipino workers here are among the highest paid OFWs all over the world.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that as of 2004, there were 87,000 documented Filipinos in Italy, while the number of undocumented OFWs was placed at thousands.