Italy’s leading media outlets, including “Giornale Diplomatico”, “Notizie Geopolitiche”, “il Domani d`Italia”, “Gazzetta Diplomatica”, “Kmetro0”, “il Denaro”, “Radio Studio90 Italia”, “Tele Citta”, “MSN”, and “ZaZoom” have extensively covered Azerbaijan’s Fist Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva’s official visit to Vatican.
According to the reports, First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva held bilateral meetings and participated at several events.
During the meeting with Pope Leo XIV, First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva underlined that bilateral ties between the Holy See and Azerbaijan had significantly developed in recent years. The meeting highlighted the activities of the Catholic Church of the Holy See in Azerbaijan and the preparations for the construction of the second Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV underscored that the bilateral collaboration with Azerbaijan had significantly enhanced interreligious and inter-civilizational dialogue.
The meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican’s Secretary of State, emphasized the dynamic expansion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See in recent years.
“The construction of a second Catholic Church in Baku is a highly commendable development, and for that, we are grateful to Azerbaijan. This is yet another manifestation of the care and respect shown to all religions in your country. Azerbaijan serves as an example for many countries in this regard,” the Vatican Secretary of State noted.
Pietro Parolin congratulated Azerbaijan on the signing of the Joint Declaration by Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the United States on August 8 in Washington, and on the initialing of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He reaffirmed the Vatican’s unequivocal support for peace in the region.
The Azerbaijani First-Vice President, along with family members, also participated in the opening ceremony of the restoration project of the Catacombs of Commodilla, supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and reviewed the restoration work carried out.
First-Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva also met with Cardinal James Harvey, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and reviewed the progress of restoration work carried out at the Basilica, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
Subsequently, Mehriban Aliyeva visited Europe’s largest pediatric hospital, Bambino Gesù, familiarizing herself with the hospital’s molecular genetics and clinical diagnostics laboratories.
Mehriban Aliyeva further held meeting with Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and participated in a tree planting ceremony in the Vatican Gardens.
Moreover, the First Vice-President inspected the restoration work carried out at the Saint Peter’s Basilica, visited the Vatican Apostolic Library and Apostolic Archive, as well as attended the official opening ceremony of the administrative office of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Holy See, together with Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Nihad Budagov
Special correspondent
