Pope Francis received Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday, January 10, and met with her for 35 minutes to discuss the «Italian social situation, with particular reference to problems related to the fight against poverty, the family, the demographic phenomenon and the education of young people,» as reported by the Vatican, which added that international issues were also examined, with particular reference to Europe, the conflict in Ukraine and migration.»
Meloni also met at the Vatican Apostolic Palace with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as well as the Secretary of State for Relations with States and International Organizations, Paul Richard Gallagher.
Meloni arrived accompanied by her daughter Ginevra and her partner, Andrea Giambruno, at 10:00 am. The Pontiff presented her with a bronze relief depicting a child helping another to get up with the caption ‘To Love, To Help’.
In addition to the artistic piece, Francis presented Meloni with some of the most important documents of his pontificate, such as the document on human fraternity, known as the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which was signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on February 4, 2019.
He also gave him this year’s message for Peace, the volume on papal audiences, edited by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household and the volume ‘An Encyclical on Peace in Ukraine’.
For his part, Meloni gave him a copy of the book entitled ‘The Holy Mass Explained to Children’, by the Italian educator Maria Montessori, published in 1955, as well as a small volume containing ‘The Canticle of the Creatures’ and ‘The Fioretti’ by St. Francis of Assisi, published in 1920.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
