In a display of traditional pomp and pageantry, Pope Leo XVI undertook his first official international trip on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. This historic journey didn’t take him far, as he traveled by motorcade from Vatican City through the heart of Rome to meet with Italy’s President.
The head of the Catholic Church was escorted by the presidential guard’s cavalry and motorcycles in a slow, three-kilometer procession culminating at the grand Quirinale Palace. There, in an opulent ballroom, the red-and-gold robed Pontiff delivered a powerful message, urging Italy to ‘maintain your spirit of openness and solidarity’ towards migrants. He emphasized that migration is ‘among the significant challenges of our era.’
Pope Leo XVI expressed his gratitude for Italy’s generous support to migrants arriving at its borders and its dedicated efforts in fighting human trafficking. He also highlighted the importance of ‘constructive integration of newcomers into the values and traditions of Italian society.’ This message was delivered in the presence of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose conservative government has adopted a strict stance on undocumented migration, aiming to curb departures from North Africa and enhance repatriations.
The 70-year-old Pope also extended his thanks to Italy for its compassionate care of children from Gaza, noting that approximately 200 have received treatment in Rome’s hospitals since the conflict began in 2023. Furthermore, he reiterated the Church’s long-standing teachings on abortion and euthanasia, stressing the imperative ‘to uphold and protect life at every stage, from conception through old age, until the moment of natural death.’
The close diplomatic ties between Italy and Vatican City, the world’s tiniest sovereign state nestled within Rome, are formally regulated by the 1929 Lateran Agreements. The majestic Quirinal Palace, where the meeting took place, was originally built in the 16th century and served as a papal residence for three centuries before becoming the home of the first king of a unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, in 1870.