The Pope received Meloni in audience before she met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See said.

“During the cordial discussions in the Secretariat of State, the good relations existing between the Holy See and Italy were underlined and the common commitment to peace in Ukraine and the Middle East and humanitarian assistance in Gaza was noted,” it said.

“In the continuation of the conversation, some questions pertaining to bilateral relations were discussed, as well as issues of interest to the Church and Italian society,” the Holy See reported.

ANSA