First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva's meeting with Pope Leo XIV in spotlight of Vatican and Italian media outlets

The authoritative media outlets of the Holy See and Italy widely covered the meeting of the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva with Pope Leo XIV on October 17, as part of her official visit to the Vatican.

The “Vatican News” portal, the “L’Osservatore Romano” newspaper the only official daily newspaper of the Vatican, the “ACI Stampa” and “Agenzia S.I.R” Catholic news agencies, as well as the “Faro di Roma” newspaper of the Italian Catholic community, emphasized that the bilateral relations between the Holy See and Azerbaijan have developed significantly in recent years.

The articles also underline that First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva also met with the Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican. The parties hailed the development and strengthening of the current good bilateral relations, paying special attention to cultural cooperation, and lauded the efforts of the Catholic Church in the country.

The articles also recall the inauguration of the restoration project of the Catacombs of Commodilla on October 16, with the participation of the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva.

The report noted that the restoration of the Catacombs of Commodilla was implemented under the agreement signed on March 4, 2021, between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology.

The media outlets also highlighted that thanks to the efforts of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, projects for restoration of the catacombs of Saints Marcelino and Pietro as well as Saint Sebastian have been also implemented.