“Rome is a delicate organism, which needs humble, constant care and creative courage to keep it tidy and liveable, so that all this splendor does not decline, and instead the accumulation of past glories can be added to the contribution of new generations with their specific ingenuity, their initiatives and their good projects,” the Pope said after being welcomed by Mayor Virginia Raggi.
Raggi’s Five Star Movement (M5S) administration is under pressure to come to grips with many major problems for the city, including issues with its transport system and rubbish management.
The pontiff said that the administration needed "appropriate legislative instruments and adequate resources" to tackle the "complex" task of governing the capital.
He also called on city councillors to seek to bring about the “moral and spiritual rebirth of the city”.
The dialogue comes only one month after Raggi sacked the entire board of the capital’s waste management company AMA.
Over the weekend, the mayor also faced calls to resign after a metro breakdown caused the city centre to grind to a halt.
“Rome is an open city, a city of multilateralism and multiculturalism,” Mayor Raggi said, in response to the Pope.
“Attention to the weakest also means having respect for the younger generations who will inherit what we sow today.
“Rome welcomes the appeal; economic and social progress also takes place through respect for the environment.
“The city is honoured to have a special and unique relationship with Pope Francis.”
