Wednesday morning: Vatican visit

Meeting His Holiness the Pope

Landed in Italy, and Gordon is whisked off to the summit. I spend the first day in Rome and join the programme for the First Ladies and PM’s wives. 

I have the privilege of a second meeting with His Holiness the Pope in Vatican City with the rest of my group (good to see the spouses from Mexico, India and the EU who are all friends from the G20). In February, Gordon took me and our boys to a private audience with the Holy Father where we were touched by his kindness and concern for the developing world.

Today, His Holiness greeted 50,000 people for his weekly audience before granting me and the other spouses to our own smaller audience. We then were treated to a tour of the beautiful basilica gardens before heading off for a wonderful lunch hosted by the Mayor of Rome’s wife at the Campidoglio: extraordinary antiquities and the Chef’s signature Ravioli Carbonara.

Here I catch up with Michelle Obama and next year’s host Laureen Harper of Canada. Thanks to the good food and good company, I have to skip the museum tour as I am now running a bit late for the next event.