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| Pope Leo meets with a delegation from ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group (@Vatican Media) |
Just twenty days ahead of his Apostolic Journey to four African nations, Pope Leo XIV met with a delegation of executives and staff from ITA Airways, Italy’s national airline, and the Lufthansa Group.
The Pope thanked ITA Airways and its predecessor, Alitalia, for its service to the Popes, beginning with Pope St. Paul VI.
He praised its “qualified and experienced professionals” for creating a “serene atmosphere” for the Pope, his entourage, and the journalists who fly with him to cover his Apostolic Journeys.
ITA Airways, he added, helps papal visits abroad become filled with “almost a family atmosphere, where respect is joined with devotion.”
“Meeting you gives me the opportunity to express my personal appreciation and gratitude, and that of the Holy See, for this precious service,” he said.
Pope Leo said papal flights offer an eloquent symbol of the mission of the Successor of Peter in contemporary society, as he always travels to countries as “a messenger of peace.”
“His routes are what they always should be, namely bridges of dialogue, encounter, and fraternity,” he said.
However, noted the Pope, aircraft have often been used in theaters of war to bring destruction and fear.
“Airplanes should always be carriers of peace, never of war!” he said. “No one should be afraid that threats of death and destruction might come from the sky.”
Pope Leo recalled the aerial bombardments of the World Wars and other conflicts, which still continue today.
“After the tragic experiences of the twentieth century, aerial bombings should have been banned forever!” he said. “Instead, they still exist, and technological development, positive in itself, is being placed at the service of war. This is not progress; it is regression!”
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV renewed his gratitude to the employees of ITA Airways for their help in his mission to spread the peace of the Gospel.
“In our current scenario,” he said, “it becomes even more important to trace routes of peace in the skies, and I thank you because, in the mission the Lord has entrusted to me, I know I can count on you.”