Embattled Marino defends US trip

(ANSA) - Rome, October 1 - 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.