Zuckerberg meets Pope Francis, what happens if they form an alliance?

Unclear what will change as a result of their meeting.

Pope Francis has met with Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla at his home in the Vatican. The meeting was private, but the Vatican did issue a statement.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Pope Francis has met with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the Vatican. It is unclear when he was invited for an audience with Pope Francis. Zuckerberg was accompanied by his wife, Priscilla.

Following the meeting, the Vatican issued a statement:

"They spoke of how communication technologies might be used to combat poverty, to encourage a culture of dialogue and to send a message of hope, especially to the needy."

During the meeting, Zuckerberg gave Pope Francis a model of a Facebook drone. The drone is of the Aquila, a solar powered aircraft that can help provide internet access to the developing world where infrastructure is lacking. The craft can send and receive wifi signals from the air while staying aloft for days.

Zuckerberg released this statement:

Priscilla and I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. We told him how much we admire his message of mercy and tenderness, and how he's found new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world.

We also discussed the importance of connecting people, especially in parts of the world without internet access. We gave him a model of Aquila, our solar-powered aircraft that will beam internet connectivity to places that don't have it. And we shared our work with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to help people around the world.

It was a meeting we'll never forget. You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people.

Both Pope Francis and Mark Zuckerberg command tremendous influence. Pope Francis speaks directly to over one billion Catholics around the world with moral authority. He has repeatedly called on the Church to aid the needs and alleviate the concerns of the poor. The Catholic Church, and her billions members operate hospitals, schools and charities around the globe. In some parts of the world, the Catholic Church provides the only social services available.

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has over a billion users on his social network, although not all of the accounts are authentic. Still, he commands an outsized influence. Most Americans and Europeans use Facebook on a daily basis. The news stories Facebook pushes and the topics the network favors often get a lot of attention. If Facebook undertook a major effort to help alleviate poverty, perhaps in conjunction with the Catholic Church, a massive impact could be made.

Both command massive distribution networks, Zuckerberg trafficks information, and Pope Francis charity. The Catholic Church is the world's largest and most comprehensive distribution organization in the world, moving aid from the first world to the third world where it improves the lives of hundreds of millions of people, if not many more.

Unfortunately, there is no news of an alliance between the two. Their meeting was private, so no details are available. It is understood that Zuckerberg is an atheist. Perhaps meeting with the Holy Father will soften his heart and inspire good works from the billionaire tycoon.

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