(L-R) His Holiness Pope Francis; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Minister of State;
Credit: VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto
On Friday 28 October 2022, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Minister of State, Xavier Bettel, travelled to San Marino for an official visit.
Prime Minister Bettel met San Marino's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Luca Beccari, for a meeting. Their exchange focused in particular on developments around the association agreement that San Marino is negotiating with the European Union (EU), as well as on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and what it implications for the European continent in terms of the economic situation, energy security and migration. Prime Minister Bettel welcomed the commitment to deepen bilateral relations between Luxembourg and San Marino, among other things, through a possible working visit by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of relations with the EU in Luxembourg.
The official visit ended with the presentation of the insignia of the Knight of the Grand Cross in the Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha to the Prime Minister Bettel and a public audience granted by the Captains Regent, Maria Luisa Berti and Manuel Ciavatta at the Public Palace. During his acceptance speech, the Prime Minister Bettel applauded San Marino saying that: "San Marino through its history has a tradition of welcoming those who seek refuge, a tradition that honours the inhabitants of this rock, who have accepted until their population doubled in the tragic moments of the Second World War. I would like to pay tribute today to the welcome that San Marino has extended to more than 300 Ukrainian refugees".
The next day, Xavier Bettel travelled to Rome for an official visit to the Holy See. As part of a reception given in honour of the Luxembourg community living in the Italian capital, Prime Minister Bettel honoured two people for their exceptional work and commitment throughout their careers by presenting them with a distinction.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Bettel travelled to the Holy See for a one-on-one audience with His Holiness Pope Francis. Prime Minister Bettel particularly wanted to congratulate the Pope for his commitment to promoting social justice as well as for his dedication to the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment. He also underlined the important role of the Luxembourg Catholic Church in interreligious dialogue in Luxembourg and recalled in this context the creation in 2015, under the leadership of Cardinal Hollerich, of the Luxembourg School of Religion & Society, as forum for exchanges and research between the different religions present in Luxembourg and between religions and the social and human sciences.
The official visit to the Holy See ended with a working meeting of Prime Minister Bettel with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
