Pope Benedict XVI met privately with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday, a day after they publicly expressed different views on abortion.

The half-hour meeting took place after the Pope warned Catholic politicians that they risked excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion.

"There was not a word about abortion or condoms," Brazil's ambassador to the Vatican, Vera Machado, told reporters after the meeting at Palacio Bandeirantes, the Sao Paulo governor's office.

Benedict delivered his anti-abortion message after arriving on Wednesday for a five-day visit to Brazil, where a majority of the 185 million residents are Catholic.

On the eve of Benedict’s arrival, Lula issued a statement saying he opposes abortion personally but that he views it as a public health issue.

With few exceptions, abortion is illegal in Brazil and most other countries in Latin America.

Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao is pushing for a referendum on legalizing abortion and on Wednesday said the country's "macho" culture has prevented legitimate debate on the issue.

"If men got pregnant, I'm sure this question would have been resolved a long time ago," he said.

Lula’s government is also at odds with Brazilian bishops for distributing free condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Discussion touches on family, peaceful society

Instead of focusing on such thorny issues, the pontiff and Brazilian president talked about the importance of family and how the Catholic church and the state can work together to build a peaceful society.

They also discussed how biofuels might help African countries fight poverty. There is rising demand for ethanol in Brazil to make biofuel blends that run the majority of passenger cars in the country, and sugar-cane production has steadily increased to keep pace.

On Thursday evening, Pope Benedict was to address about 40,000 young people who assembled at a Sao Paulo soccer stadium to hear a speech entitled "Youth — Disciple and Missionary of Jesus."

A highlight of Benedict’s visit, part of his first papal trip to Latin America, will come Friday, with the canonization of the first Brazilian-born saint, Frei Galvao.

The tour ends on Sunday, when he will open the conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops in Aparecida, near Sao Paulo.

With files from the Associated Press