Source: Government of Italy (English)
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, paid an official visit to His Holiness Leo XIV today. President Meloni was received in audience by the Holy Father in the private library of the Apostolic Palace. At the end of the meeting, President Meloni gifted the Pope a 17th century view of the Church of Santi Domenico e Sisto and of the ancient Dominican monastery that is home to the Angelicum, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where Leo XIV completed a significant part of his education.
The Italian delegation also included the Vice-Presidents of the Council of Ministers, Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, and Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano.
President Meloni went on to meet with the Secretary of State of His Holiness, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher. During the meeting, in the context of the excellent relations between Italy and the Holy See, both international and bilateral matters were addressed.
President Meloni reaffirmed her appreciation of the Apostolic See’s commitment to peace in Ukraine, in Gaza and in all crisis areas. She also focused on the importance of religious freedom and the protection of Christian communities in the Middle East that have suffered the consequences of the area’s crises and instability.
Lastly, there was shared acknowledgement of the excellent collaboration with Catholic religious organisations for cooperation in Africa, as part of the Mattei Plan.