VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Group of Eight summit in L'Aquila, Italy, offered some world leaders the opportunity to squeeze in a visit to meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

The pope then used the occasion to present leaders with a special copy of his first social encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth"), which the Vatican released July 7, the day before the G-8 summit began.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met with the pope in a 25-minute closed-door meeting July 9. Australia is not part of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, but was among the other countries Italy invited.

Rudd, who was raised Catholic but attends an Anglican church, told the pope, "I'm reading your encyclical."

Rudd has written about the role of a Christian in contemporary politics and wrote in a 2005 essay that he sees the Gospel as "an exhortation to social action."

In a customary exchange of gifts, the pope gave Rudd a signed, white leather-bound copy of his new encyclical and a pen shaped like a column of the famous baldacchino, or canopy over the main altar, in St. Peter's Basilica done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Rudd gave the pope a black leather-bound copy of the Australian government's apology to Aborigines for the wrongs committed against them and the stolen generations forcibly separated from their families.

Rudd, who spearheaded the move to publicly acknowledge past injustices against indigenous peoples, presented the document to the pope and said, "This is a book of my apologies to the native Australians."

The prime minister also gave the pope a wooden box holding six bottles of sweet rose Australian wine and said, "Think of us Australians when you're in the Vatican."

During their private meeting, the pope and Rudd talked about the current issues the world is facing, in particular, "respect for religious liberty and environmental problems," said a written Vatican statement released after the meeting.

It said the two men also talked about the pope's July 2008 visit to Australia for World Youth Day and "the great spirit of collaboration" between the church and public authorities in organizing the event.

Later the same day, the pope met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, also invited by Italy. The pope gave him a copy of the encyclical and a lithograph of St. Peter's Square.

The president presented the pope with two large photographs taken by a well-known Catholic Korean photographer. One was an image of the funeral Mass of Korea's first cardinal, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, who died Feb. 16. Cardinal Kim and the pope knew each other from the time they were at the German University of Munster in the 1960s. The other photograph was of a monk at prayer at a French monastery.

During the 25-minute closed-door meeting, the pope and Lee talked about "the effects of the world economic crisis, especially on poorer nations, and the political and social situation on the Korean peninsula," said a Vatican statement.

The pope met with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso July 7; Japan is a member of the Group of Eight.

The pope and prime minister talked about current global issues, particularly "the economic crisis and Japan and the Holy See's commitment to Africa," said a Vatican written statement.

In their exchange of gifts, the Japanese leader presented the pope with a digital video camera.

Copyright (c) 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops