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Giorgia Meloni

A 13th-century fresco of St. Francis of Assisi by the Florentine painter Cimabue, one of the earliest depictions of the saint, is located in the lower church of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy. / Credit: Jacob Stein/Crux Stationalis

It’s official: St. Francis’ Feast Day Back to Being a National Holiday in Italy

Oct 2, 2025

Oct. 4 will therefore be a public holiday in Italy starting in 2026, after having been a public holiday until 1977.

Pope Francis shared a stage with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on May 12, 2023, to speak at a two-day conference on “The General State of the Birth Rate,” held at Conciliazione Auditorium close to the Vatican. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis: Birth Rate is a Key Indicator of a Country’s Hope

May 12, 2023

Pope Francis said Friday a society’s birth rate is a key indicator of the hope people have in the future.

Pope Francis meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her 6-year-old daughter on Jan. 10, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Prays for Italy as First Female Prime Minister, a Catholic, Takes Office

Oct 24, 2022

Pope Francis offered a prayer for Italy on Sunday as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni became the country’s first female leader.

Pope Francis shared a stage with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on May 12, 2023, to speak at a two-day conference on “The General State of the Birth Rate,” held at Conciliazione Auditorium close to the Vatican. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

7 Things to Know about Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Likely New Catholic Prime Minister

Sep 27, 2022

Italy’s national elections on Sept. 25 ended with Giorgia Meloni, a Catholic mother, poised to become the country’s first female prime minister.