Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi mentions Pope Francis in his first parliamentary speech

In his first address to lawmakers, Italy's new prime minister, Mario Draghi, quoted Pope Francis' words regarding humanity's failure to care for the environment. Addressing the lower house of the Italian parliament on February 17, Draghi unveiled his plan to lead Italy through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the post-pandemic challenges the country will inevitably face, including climate change. Not only has global warming had a "direct effect on our life and health," the land that "megacities have taken from nature could have been one of the causes of the transmission of the virus from animals to humans," he said. “As Pope Francis said, 'Natural tragedies are the Earth's response to our mistreatment. If I ask the Lord now what he thinks about it, I don't think he will say anything very good to me. It is we who have ruined the Lord's work! '”Draghi added. The papal quote was taken from a general audience speech given by Pope Francis in April 2020 on the occasion of the 50th Earth Day, which was established in 1970 to raise public awareness and concern for the environment and the its impact on people's health and on all life.

Draghi's premier came after Italian president Sergio Mattarella chose him to form a new government after former prime minister Giuseppe Conte failed to secure a parliamentary majority. The political shock, which occurred after Matteo Renzi, an Italian senator who briefly served as prime minister from 2014 to 2016, withdrew his Italia Viva party from the coalition government after disagreeing with Conte's spending plan to respond to the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Draghi's choice of president as the new prime minister was welcomed by many who saw the famed economist as a good choice to lead Italy out of a devastating recession. Dubbed "Super Mario" by the Italian press, Draghi - who was president of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019 - is widely credited with saving the euro during the European debt crisis, when several EU member states weren't in able to refinance the debts of their government.

Born in Rome in 1947, Draghi is a Jesuit-trained Catholic who was also appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in July 2020. In a February 13 interview with Adnkronos, an Italian news agency, the Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the magazine La Civilta Cattolica, said that Draghi brings a "refined balance" to an "extremely delicate moment" in the country. While political differences led to the rise of Draghi, Spadaro expressed his belief that the new prime minister's government will keep the common good of the country as its primary objective, "beyond individual ideological positions." “It's a particular solution for a very special situation,” he said.