Procession, red carpet and military honors: Pope Leo XIV was received on Tuesday at the Roman Quirinal Palace in his first state visit a stone’s throw from the Vatican, during which he advocated multilateralism.
Under an autumn sun, the head of the Catholic Church was escorted through the streets of Rome by the cuirassiers of the presidential guard and the cyclists of the Italian security forces during a very solemn procession along the three kilometers that link Vatican City with the presidential palace.
In his speech before President Sergio Mattarella and political leaders, Leo XIV asked Italy to “always dynamically maintain an attitude of openness and solidarity” towards immigrants.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni participated in the assembly, who since 2022 has led a policy of restricting the arrival of immigrants to the coasts of the peninsula.
A call for multilateralism
Advocating for multilateralism in the face of the specter of a new global conflict, the first American Pope in history thanked Italy for its commitment to the children of the Gaza Strip, while Rome has welcomed almost 200 Palestinian children and young people since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
The bishop of Rome also defended the Church’s position on abortion and the end of life, in reference to the debate that is animating Italy after the decriminalization of assisted suicide in 2019, under certain conditions, for patients who suffer greatly.
Italy and the Vatican, signatories of the Lateran Agreements in 1929, maintain very strong ties.
Built in the 16th century, the Quirinal was the papal residence from 1583 to 1870, for almost three centuries: it was used by 30 popes, until the departure of Pius IX in 1870 after the capture of Rome by Italian troops.
Source: BFM TV
