The last thing Pope Francis told
Giorgia Meloni was not to lose her sense of humour, the Italian
premier and leader of the rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI)
party told a commemoration of the late Argentine pontiff in a
joint session of parliament Wednesday.
Francis "made you feel precious, as a unique and unrepeatable
being like every human being. I will always be grateful for the
time we spent together, for the teachings and advice" including
'never lose your sense of humour', also the last thing he said
to me," she said.
"He told the pilgrims that a bitter monarch is sad" because "you
cannot lead others if you do not feel joy for what you do. He
gave much greater value to joy".
She added:
He was the "Pope of the last", "of the physical and existential
peripheries", "he gave back a voice to those who did not have
one, even breaking the mold because he said 'you must not be
afraid to go against the current if you have to do something
good'. Thus, the Pope who came from far away entered the hearts
of the people".
Meloni also said Francis "knew how to be determined, but when
you spoke to him there were no barriers, he didn't create
barriers. With him you were at ease, you could talk about
everything, and tell your story without filters and without fear
of being judged. He could see your soul and look at you naked.
As if for him it meant saying 'I'm here for you'. He made you
feel precious because you were unique and unrepeatable".
She said Francis "said that diplomacy is an exercise in
humility, because it requires sacrificing a bit of self-love to
understand the reasons and point of view of the other. A
teaching that we intend to cultivate".
Francis, she went on, "did not stop calling for peace, for an
end to the wars that end humanity, from the tormented Ukraine to
the Middle East, passing through the Sahel, he did so even when
he knew that some might not understand and that his words could
be distorted and exploited. "But his many appeals for peace
today are a further warning to responsibility".
"I, the government and Italy will always be grateful to him also
for having given that historic presence, the first time of a
pontiff at the G7 work.
"As a global leader he drew the world's attention to the great
challenges of our time, from the defense of Creation to
Artificial Intelligence - Meloni recalled.
"He had introduced the concept of algorithmics, giving an ethic
to algorithms to invoke a development of technologies that did
not exceed the insurmountable limit of the centrality of man.
And when I asked him to participate in the G7 summit to bring
this message, he did not hesitate".
The premier's tribute to the pope earned her bipartisan
applause.
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