Rome, Italy – Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s final stop on his first international Congressional Delegation (CODEL) as Speaker of the House took him to Italy, one of our oldest and closest allies. In Rome, his bipartisan delegation of Members of Congress met with Pope Francis, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella, and the heads of several parties in the Chamber of Deputies.
“I chose Italy as my first European country to visit since becoming Speaker in order to reaffirm our long-lasting friendship. Just over 100 years ago, my grandfather came from Italy to the United States — an experience with which millions of Italian Americans can identify.
“But in addition to our deep-running cultural ties, Italy and America also face common threats. In my many meetings with Italy’s leaders, I underscored our mutual economic and security interests and spoke of our shared concerns regarding energy security. I am confident that together, our future remains bright,” said Speaker McCarthy.
Speaker McCarthy was deeply honored to meet with Pope Francis. They spoke on a range of topics and recalled their time together when Pontifex visited the U.S. Capitol in 2015. His Holiness also met with the bipartisan delegation of Members of Congress traveling with Speaker McCarthy.
Speaker McCarthy was joined by the following Members of Congress in Rome:
Rep. Garret Graves (LA-06)
Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19)
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-02)
Rep. Julia Letlow (LA-05)
Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23)
In a meeting with Lorenzo Fontana, the President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Speaker McCarthy was thrilled to be gifted an original copy of his grandfather’s birth certificate.
Speaker McCarthy’s CODEL met with Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, and other high-ranking leaders. There, they discussed initiatives to promote better energy solutions and emphasized the importance of policies that enhance energy security.
In this photo, Speaker McCarthy met with the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. They discussed current and future ways to improve economic prosperity in both nations.
Of all the delegation’s meetings in Rome, one of the most important was with our men and women in uniform. This group of Marines is stationed in Italy and tasked with supporting the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
Click below to see more photos from the Congressional delegation’s other stops:
– Egypt
– Israel
– Jordan