Overview

• At the San Francesco celebration in Assisi, Giorgia Meloni said peace is built through patient dialogue, including with adversaries.
• She praised Italy’s role as a frontline humanitarian donor and a credible interlocutor in Middle East efforts.
• Meloni urged Italians to support the U.S. initiative, saying Qatar’s mediation could make it acceptable to Hamas and lead to hostages’ release.
• Pro‑Palestine symbols appeared on the basilica lawn and statue, police managed demonstrators’ movements, and a lone heckler briefly interrupted her speech.
• A John Paul II statue at Rome’s Termini was defaced with graffiti, which Meloni condemned as an unworthy act, while opposition figures accused her of politicizing the Assisi event.