Walter Veltroni, mayor since 2001, met with the Pope on Saturday, a few hours before the Holy Father took possession of the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls said that the Pope «expressed his gratitude to the mayor for the warmth with which he has been received by Rome and renewed his sentiments of esteem and affection for what has become his city and diocese.»
Benedict XVI also expressed «good wishes of prosperity and concord to all the citizens of Rome, assuring, in the distinction of tasks, the contribution of the Church to the spiritual and civil progress of the city.»
