Italy's Premier Meloni meets Pope Francis for 1st time

ROME

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday made her first official visit to Pope Francis, addressing with him key concerns, such as family issues and the fight against poverty.

The war in Ukraine and migration were also at the core of the talks, a Vatican press statement said.

Meloni met Francis for 35 minutes and then spoke to Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister.

With Parolin, Meloni discussed Italy’s demographic problems, which pose concerns for the future of the country and are often cited by the Italian premier and the pontiff in their speeches.

Meloni, who leads a far-right coalition after winning elections in September, is a staunch promoter of the so-called “traditional” family, with critical views on abortion and LGBTQ rights.

She was accompanied on her visit to the Vatican by her daughter Ginevra and her unmarried partner.

Meloni has repeatedly vowed to support families in raising their children, part of an attempt to reverse Italy’s worrying demographic decline.

The Italian premier recently attended the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, whom she praised as a “giant that history will never forget.”

In line with tradition, Meloni and the pope exchanged gifts, including an angel statuette that the premier gave to Francis.