The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, arrived by car to the Courtyard of St. Damasus in the Vatican. Fr. Leonardo Sapienza, Prefect of the Papal Household, accompanied her to the library of the Apostolic Palace.
The Prime Minister was impressed by the Vatican architecture and its history.
There really is so much that can be discussed here.
Meloni was accompanied by Alfredo Mantovano, undersecretary of the Presidency, who had met with the Pope a few years earlier.
I was here in this room a few years ago to see him bringing Asia Bibi's family, if you remember.
Asia Bibi is a Christian in Pakistan who was accused of alleged blasphemy against the prophet Muhammad.
During the meeting, Meloni introduced Pope Francis to the rest of her cabinet before meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican Foreign Minister.
Following the encounter, the Holy See Press Office published a summary of the themes Pope Francis and the Prime Minister had discussed. The two spoke about bilateral relations, the fight against poverty, defense of the family, the importance of the European birth rate, Russia, Ukraine and the migratory crisis.
RM
TR: KG