Robert Mugabe meets Pope Francis at sainthood ceremony in Rome The Zimbabwean president is allowed to meet the Pontiff as EU travel ban does not apply to the Vatican

Pope Francis meets Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace after the canonisation mass of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on St Peter's at the Vatican 

Pope Francis met Robert Mugabe on Sunday during a ceremony in Rome to make saints of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II

The ageing Zimbabwean president, who was with his wife Grace, was among a number of heads of state to attend the ceremony. He is barred from entering the European Union because of alleged human rights abuses and vote rigging at home, but the ban does not apply to Vatican City, which is not a member of the EU.

President Mugabe, who describes himself as a committed Catholic, also attended Pope Francis’s inaugural Mass last year, following his election by cardinals in the secret conclave held in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. He also came to Rome for Pope John Paul’s funeral in 2005 and for his beatification in 2011.

Last year, the EU suspended sanctions against 81 officials and eight firms in Zimbabwe, following what it described as a "peaceful" referendum on a new constitution. However, sanctions remain in place against Mr Mugabe himself, partly at Britain's insistence.