Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino said
Thursday if he had been the pope he wouldn't have answered when
asked who had invited him to attend the World Meeting of
Families in Philadelphia.
"The Holy Father goes to the United States, talks about
climate change, oil, the weapons drama, exploitation of the
planet, makes historic statements about the role of women in the
Church and the Italian journalist asks 'Did you invite Marino?'
Had it been me, I would have replied: 'This is not the purpose
of the journey and press conference'," Marino said.
His comment came after Pope Francis told reporters on the
papal flight back from the United States that he had not invited
him to the event in Philadelphia.
"I asked the organizers and they didn't invite him
either... He says he's Catholic. He came of his own accord," the
pope said.
Marino's trip to the United States, a month after he had a
vacation in the Caribbean and the US, has stirred controversy in
the capital.
Marino also said Thursday his travel expenses and those of
a staff member had been covered by Temple University, where he
gave a lecture last Thursday.
The expenses of two further staff members were paid for by
Rome city council, he added.
Marino said the account given of his US trip was completely
"false".
In April 2015 Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, head of the
Pontifical Council for the Family, asked to see him, Marino
said.
During their meeting, Msgr Paglia allegedly told the mayor
that his counterpart in Philadelphia and the local archbishop
wanted to meet with him during a trip to Italy to discuss how to
organise a major event.
Marino said the archbishop subsequently wrote to thank him
and said he expected to see him in Philadelphia for the
occasion.
On Wednesday fresh controversy broke after Msgr Paglia was
tricked into saying Pope Francis was "furious" about how Marino
tried to "crash" his party in Philadelphia by a fake Premier
Matteo Renzi on a satirical radio show.
Meanwhile Matteo Orfini, the president of Marino's
Democratic Party (PD) and commissioner of the party's Rome
branch amid the Mafia Capitale scandal involving alleged
infiltration by a local crime syndicate into city contracts,
said the mayor needed to govern "better".
"He was elected by Romans to govern Rome, he must govern
Rome, he must do it better than it has been done until now and
the PD must act as guarantor," Orfini said.
"The city council must do better but we all need to work
together," he added.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
