Pope Leo XIV met with a delegation of executives and staff from ITA Airways, Italy’s national airline, and the Lufthansa Group, just twenty days ahead of his Apostolic Journey to four African nations, . The Pope thanked ITA Airways and its predecessor, Alitalia, for its service to the Popes, beginning with Pope St. Paul VI.
ADDRESS OF POPE LEO XIV
TO DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF THE ITALIAN NATIONAL AIRLINE
ITA AIRWAYS
in the Vatican Clementine Hall on Monday, 23 March 2026
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Good morning everyone, and welcome!
I am pleased to welcome you, representatives of ITA Airways, together with a delegation from the Lufthansa Group.
The history of the apostolic journeys of the Popes by air, starting with Saint Paul VI, is linked in a special way to the Italian national flag carrier, first Alitalia and now ITA Airways. And I too, God willing, will have the opportunity to avail myself of your services, in twenty days’ time, for the journey to Africa.
My Predecessors and the collaborators who accompanied them on their international journeys found in the personnel of Alitalia and ITA not only qualified and experienced professionals, but also people capable of creating a serene, I would say almost family-like, atmosphere, where respect goes hand in hand with devotion. Meeting you gives me the chance to express my personal appreciation and gratitude, and that of the Holy See, for this precious service. I also trust that, in the spirit of this long-standing and cordial collaboration, the welcome extended to the Holy Father, his entourage and the journalists travelling with him will continue to reflect that special care and kindness which the times in which we live make ever more necessary.
The papal flights are one of the most eloquent symbols of the mission of the Successors of Peter in the contemporary age. In a particular way, in his Apostolic Journeys, the Pope appears to everyone as a messenger of peace: his routes are what they should always be, namely bridges of dialogue, of encounter, and of brotherhood. Aircraft should always be vehicles of peace, never of war! No one should fear that threats of death and destruction will come from the sky. After the tragic experiences of the twentieth century, aerial bombardment should have been banished forever! Instead, as we know, it still exists, and technological development, which is positive in itself, is being put at the service of war. This is not progress, it is regression!
Dear friends, in this context, it becomes even more important to chart courses of peace in the skies, and I thank you because, in the mission the Lord has entrusted to me, I know I can count on you.
I wish every success for the journey of ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group, and I invoke the Lord’s blessing upon you and your families. Thank you.
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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 23 March 2026
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