Tim Cook met with Pope Francis today. The 15-minute appointment reportedly took place from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. local time, as can be seen from viewing the pope’s daily schedule, which describes a meeting between the Holy Father and “Signor Timothy Donald Cook, Amministratore Delegato di Apple.”
There’s no word on what was discussed during today’s brief meeting, but both the pope and Cook are avowed environmentalists. Much like Cook has told people who prize profits above a positive social contribution to “get out” of Apple stock, Francis has described obsession over profit as “the dung of the devil.”
#PopeFrancis (@Pontifex) met with #Apple CEO Tim Cook (@tim_cook) pic.twitter.com/6fLqnioxhX
— Antonio Spadaro SJ (@antoniospadaro) January 22, 2016
Although no details were given about today’s meeting in Rome, the pope, who met with Alphabet exec (and former Google CEO) Eric Schmidt last week, is talking a lot about technology and the internet.
Francis extolled the positive potential of the internet — and bemoaned the horror of internet trolls — in a statement released Friday.
“Our words and actions should be such as to help us all escape the vicious circles of condemnation and vengeance which continue to ensnare individuals and nations, encouraging expressions of hatred,” he said.
Cook, who has been in Europe lobbying EU regulators as they make a decision regarding Apple’s Irish tax deal, is in Italy for the opening of Apple’s first European iOS App Development Center in Naples.
While we don’t know what Cook and Francis discussed Friday, we do know the pope is an iPad user. Last year, the Holy Tablet was due an upgrade, and the pontiff’s last-generation device went to auction, where it sold for a staggering $30,500.
Who knows? Maybe Cook’s just been called in for a spot of technical help! Calling in the Apple CEO sure beats queuing for the Genius Bar.
Source: Business Insider
