Pope Francis offers Italian president cordial birthday wishes

These delicate political circumstances seem to justify the Pope's message. In fact, this is the first time in his pontificate that Francis has offered a public birthday greeting to the president, who has been in office for more than seven years. The pontiff mentioned his "personal esteem" for the president, who agreed to serve a second seven-year term in February 2022, even though he had been planning to retire.

In his telegram, the pontiff also highlights the "high service" and the "fundamental and indispensable contribution" that the president offers to his country. He sends his apostolic blessing to him, his collaborators and the entire Italian nation.

In recent years, Pope Francis has met several times with the president - who is four years younger than he is - and has sent him warm messages on multiple occasions.

The Bishop of Rome also has a special relationship with the former Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who resigned in July 2022. Pope Francis appointed Draghi a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in 2020, shortly before the Jesuit-trained economist agreed to head a unity government in February 2021.