Speech by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on occasion of the meeting with His Holiness Leo XIV, on an official visit

Most Holy Father,

It is for me a privilege and a reason of great emotion to welcome you to the Quirinale Palace.

This Palace bears witness to an important period of the history of the Papacy and of Italy, and the Republic cherishes it as the “home” of all Italians.

This ceremony intends to once again seal the unbreakable bond between the Holy See and Italy and represents an act of tribute paid to you by the whole of Italy, on behalf of which – together with the Republic’s Institutions represented here today – I would like to express our most affectionate wishes for the High Magisterium that the Conclave has conferred upon you.

Last April, the Italian people huddled in grief for the demise of Pope Francis, who left in us all – believers and non-believers alike – an ineffaceable memory.

At the same time, ever since the very first day of your election, Your Holiness has been able to experience the scale of the Italian people’s show of sympathy, as they identify with your action in favor of the centrality of the human individual, of peace and dialogue, which are the shared founding values also enshrined in our Constitution.

In this Holy Year devoted to hope, there are a great many people of good will – both in Italy and abroad – who look to the moral authority of the Holy See and find in your action and in your relentless commitment to the whole of humanity the reason to keep hope alive.

We are living in very difficult times.

After World War II, we were able to put our stakes on a world built around multilateralism, on a system that considered dialogue to be the way of settling disputes. This system now seems to have been progressively set aside.

The Institutions that were established at the time seem weakened – at times instrumentally, and irresponsibly delegitimized – and no longer capable of acting sufficiently effectively on the ongoing crises.

The failure of trust-building mechanisms between States concerns us.

In this scenario, the logic of the strongest and the temptation of resorting to arms to settle a dispute sometimes seem to prevail.

Dignity and the rights of individuals, groups and entire populations are often trampled.

Four years from its onset, Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukraine continues to claim innumerable civilian victims, to sow death and destruction, and to cast an unsettling shadow of insecurity over the whole European continent. 

In the Middle East, the heinous wound inflicted by the terrorist attack of the 7^th of October 2023 was followed by a reaction that not only exceeded criteria of proportionality, but also the confines of humanity.

Today there is a “spark of hope” – as Your Holiness pointed out – that must be strongly supported.

The release of the hostages who are still alive has a great value and involves all those who have civility and human dignity at heart, while addressing a thought to those who died in those cruel conditions of imprisonment.

The cease-fire called in Gaza is the starting point from which to make reparation to that population, so deeply affected by such brutal suffering.

We hope that the ongoing negotiations on the following phases are successful and will quickly lead to a permanent suspension of hostilities and violence on the Strip, which would also benefit the general stability of the Middle East and the condition of the Holy Sites, in order to relaunch the one-State solution for each one of the two populations: the only one capable of assuring a future in which everybody – both Israel and Palestine – achieve peace and security.

Allow me to reaffirm that true, lasting peace resides in the soul of the people. Otherwise, rancour would brew under the smouldering ashes of the end of violence, ready to spark off again at the first opportunity possible, and we would then realize that the end of violence would only be an interval between two explosions.

Ukraine and the Middle East are only two of the major war scenarios, the ones that are closest to us.

The number of ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises is unfortunately much higher, as Your Holiness has frequently reminded us.

Actually, in the face of such atrocity, a risk that we cannot underestimate is that – alongside the many people who feel called upon to build peace – part of the public opinion may almost become addicted to it and the suffering of millions of human beings no longer stir their consciences.

We not only aim to suspend the violence: this cannot satisfy us. We aim for a condition that can lead people steadfastly back on the path of peace and of cooperating in the life of the world.

Those who pay the price for a world in which peaceful coexistence is so endangered are always the most vulnerable, especially children and young people, and depriving entire generations of their future is not acceptable.

Often, those who pay the highest price in wars are Christian communities, who are targeted for the stabilizing and moderating role that they traditionally play, especially in the Near East.

It is an alarming picture, Your Holiness, that clashes with the aspirations of all people. Not even our societies are spared its effects, as they are often grappling with phenomena such as polarization, integralism, and the marginalization of the poor and the disadvantaged.

Old and new conditions of poverty worldwide are set against increasingly immense fortunes.

Our consciences are stirred by Your Holiness’s calling out the plight of poverty as the result of internal injustices and international disequilibria; as you also called out the need to develop a new humanism in the face of the challenge posed by artificial intelligence, as well as your incessant plea to pursue authentic paths towards reconciliation.

They are clear and engaging points of reference aimed at creating human societies in which respecting individual rights, mitigating inequalities and providing equal opportunities become the founding principles in striving to pursue the common good.

Your Holiness, allow me to express my greatest gratitude for the teachings and the horizons outlined in the Dilexi te, the Apostolic Exhortation released only a few days ago which calls for a necessary change of mindset.

We do not want to surrender to the prospect of a society dominated by oligarchs or, better said, by people privileged by wealth, lack of scruples and indifference to others, which we see looming if we eliminate the values of equality, solidarity and liberty.

Alongside these – in contrast with many generous initiatives, also in Italy – there are phenomena that often arise from fear of the unknown and entrenching against globally relevant structural processes that are modifying our circumstances: climate change, migrations, and even the use of new technologies.

On the contrary, in our international coexistence, these processes would require us to expressly recover the values of cohabitation and dialogue; values that would enable us to manage these phenomena in an orderly manner and with a collaborative spirit, committing not to leave anyone behind, thus safeguarding everyone’s dignity and the wellbeing of society.

A very meaningful indication comes from Europe and its historic turning point which saw people who had engaged in long wars come together around principles of peace and cooperation in view of a common future.

It was a nucleus of values that the founding fathers – many of whom were of Christian upbringing – found a source of inspiration: respect for the dignity of all individuals, solidarity and justice, which make up the soul of our democracies as they are not only intended to respect the “rules of the game” but in their deepest meaning, they guarantee liberty, equality and participation. They are all antidotes to irreconcilable positions and conflicts of all types, an antidote to war.

As Pius XII recalled in his history-making message on Christmas of 1944, the democratic order includes the unity of humankind and – as he said – “On the recognition of this principle hangs the future of the peace”.

It is an appeal to forever ban war as a means of solving controversies.

An appeal that, through the magisterium of the Pontiffs who succeeded him up to now, finds in Your Holiness a new untiring messenger, as revealed in your first speech from the Loggia of Blessings.

Peace – you underscored – “starts from each and every one of us”: this is why it is so essential to disarm our minds and disarm our words.

In this respect, a specific responsibility must be shouldered by policy makers and public opinion influencers, who must avoid bringing out contrasts instead of nurturing dialogue and mutual understanding.

Your Holiness,

In an international context showing the display of a dangerous contempt of the law, it is significant to note that in Italy the relationship between the Republic and the Church is based on a groundwork of common rules that are respected by both sides.

The pacts under the Lateran Treaty put an end to the so-called “Roman Question” in 1929 and were inserted in the 1947 Republican Constitution by the Constituent Assembly, and the 1984 Agreement fully aligned the regulatory framework, the provisions of Italy’s fundamental Charter and the developments promoted by the Church in Vatican Council II.

By reflecting a mature and balanced conception of the relationship between the State and the Catholic Church, the new Agreement upholds complete freedom of religion and conscience, a condition through which individuals can manifest their dignity and, with it, their vocation to affirm their autonomy and responsibility.

The regulatory framework still now enacts the fruitful alliance between the Catholic Church and the Italian State which are independent and sovereign, each within its own sphere albeit united in the common goal of safeguarding and enhancing the common good.

For Italy, the solidity of the relationship with the Catholic Church – and I make a point of recalling this on this occasion – has meant reinforcing the vital and indivisible heritage of its national unity, by strengthening cohesion amongst our people and contributing to raise awareness on the responsibility that everyone holds with respect to the community in which they live.

The Catholic Church has played and continues to play an admirable role in supporting the weaker segments of the population and we are deeply grateful for this.

It is a commitment that, on a daily basis, we see promote extremely valuable social work, welcoming migrants and working in favour of lawfulness.

Most Holy Father,

Thank you for your visit. I am certain to interpret unanimous feelings if I express our support and solidarity for your actions, in such a difficult and troubled international context.

Let me express, also on behalf of all the Italian men and women, my own sincerest wishes for a fruitful Pontificate and for Your Holiness’s spiritual and personal wellbeing.