Francis “made you feel precious, as a unique and unrepeatable being like every human being,” she said.

“I will always be grateful for the time we spent together, for the teachings and advice [such as to] ‘never lose your sense of humour’, [which was] also the last thing he said to me.

“He told the pilgrims that a bitter monarch is sad [because] you cannot lead others if you do not feel joy for what you do.

“He gave much greater value to joy.”

Meloni called Francis the “Pope of the last”, “of the physical and existential peripheries”.

“He gave back a voice to those who did not have one, even breaking the mould because he said, ‘You must not be afraid to go against the current if you have to do something good.’

“Thus, the Pope who came from far away entered the hearts of the people.”

Meloni also said Francis “knew how to be determined, but when you spoke to him there were no barriers”.

“With him you were at ease,” she continued, “you could talk about everything, and tell your story without filters and without fear of being judged. He could see your soul and look at you naked.

“He made you feel precious because you were unique and unrepeatable.”

She said Francis “said that diplomacy is an exercise in humility, because it requires sacrificing a bit of self-love to understand the reasons and point of view of the other”.

Francis, she went on, “did not stop calling for peace, for an end to the wars that end humanity, from the tormented Ukraine to the Middle East, passing through the Sahel, he did so even when he knew that some might not understand and that his words could be distorted and exploited”.

“I, the government and Italy will always be grateful to him for also having given that historic presence as the first pontiff at the G7.

“As a global leader he drew the world’s attention to the great challenges of our time, from the defence of Creation to Artificial Intelligence,” Meloni recalled.

“He had introduced the concept of algorithmic ethics, giving an ethic to algorithms to invoke a development of technologies that did not exceed the insurmountable limit of the centrality of man.

“And when I asked him to participate in the G7 summit to bring this message, he did not hesitate.”

Meloni’s tribute to the pope earned her bipartisan applause.

ANSA