Leo XIV to Italy: Protect family, welcome migrants, defend life

President Sergio Mattarella, who has been in office since 2015 and won re-election for a second term in 2022, welcomed him in the courtyard of the Quirinal Palace. Leo XIV spoke with him for half an hour behind closed doors. The pope and the 84-year-old politician, a popular figure in Italy, had already met at the Vatican on June 6, a month after the conclave.

After exchanging gifts, the Pope's visit continued with a meeting with presidential staff and leaders of Italian institutions. Presenting himself as “Bishop of Rome and Primate of Italy,” the pontiff emphasized “the strong bond that unites the See of Peter with the Italian people.”

With the centenary of the Lateran Treaty (1929-2029) approaching, he highlighted the collaboration between the Catholic Church and the Italian State “for the common good, in the service of the human person, whose inviolable dignity must always take precedence in decision-making processes and in action, at all levels.” He also called for full respect for the 1984 Concordat, which established a clearer distinction between Church and State, ending Catholicism's status as the state religion.

Faced with situations of grave suffering that “wound humanity,” the pontiff made various appeals, beginning with that of “working for the restoration of peace in all parts of the world.” “Let us look at the faces of those who are devastated by the irrational ferocity of those who mercilessly plan death and destruction,” he lamented. He praised the Italian government's commitment to the children of Gaza, in collaboration with the Bambino Gesù Hospital, owned by the Holy See.

The head of the Catholic Church focused a large part of his 15-minute speech on protecting the family—recalling in passing the strong attachment Italians have to it—in order to counteract the decline in birth rates on the peninsula. The country has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe—1.18 children per woman in 2024—and the number of residents is steadily declining according to official statistics. The Italian population stood at 59 million in 2022. It could fall to 58.1 million in 2030, 54.4 million in 2050, and as low as 45.8 million in 2080.

Faced with this demographic crisis, Leo XIV enjoined Italians to do “everything possible to restore confidence to families, especially young families.” He wished for all families “decent employment, under fair conditions and taking into account the demands of motherhood and fatherhood.”

The pope also recalled “the fundamental importance, at all levels, of respecting and protecting life in all its phases, from conception to old age, until the moment of death.” He called for “accessibility to medical care and medicines, according to the needs of each individual.”

Leo XIV also thanked Italy for its “great generosity” towards migrants who knock on its doors, and for its commitment to the fight against human trafficking. Encouraging openness and solidarity, he recognized the importance of integrating newcomers “into the values and traditions of Italian society.”

Current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was present at the meeting, has significantly opened the door to legal immigration in Italy. In 2022, she was elected to drastically curb illegal immigration.

In his speech, the American-Peruvian pontiff denounced “a certain tendency to underestimate [...] the models and values that have developed over the centuries and that mark our cultural identity, sometimes going so far as to attempt to erase their historical and human relevance.” He called for the preservation of traditions without being seduced by current fads or commercial strategies, which he described as “forms of control.”

Referring to the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi (1226-2026), Leo XIV saw this anniversary as an opportunity to entrust Italians with an environmental mission, in the spirit of Italy's patron saint. Italy recently established October 4, the feast day of the Poverello, as a national holiday starting next year.

In his speech, which was met with a standing ovation, the Bishop of Rome expressed his gratitude to the Italian authorities for their management of major events at the Vatican. He particularly referenced those surrounding the death of Pope Francis and the conclave last April and May, as well as the logistics and security of the jubilee, which is taking place throughout the year in the capital.