On the sixth anniversary of Pope Francis' inauguration, Italy's president Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday sent good wishes to the Argentine pontiff and expressed gratitude for his "tireless" work for humanity.
"On the happy occasion of the sixth anniversary of your Petrine Ministry, I would like to send renewed and heartfelt good wishes, also on behalf of Italians, for your personal welfare and your tireless work, which the whole of humanity observes with a deep sense of involvement," read the message.
The message praised Francis's participation in World Youth Day celebration and his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates last year - the first made by a Pope to the Gulf region.
"On each of these occasions Your Holiness sent a strong message of hope, peace and brotherhood, which went beyond religious, ethnic and cultural affiliations and twinged consciences in favour of dialogue and mutual understanding," the message continued.
Francis had also shown his concern for Italy in "concrete" ways, including his pastoral visits to the Puglia, Tuscany and Sicily regions, but also through the Catholic Church's "daily solidarity" towards the most vulnerable sections of the population, the message stated.
Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was inaugurated as Pope on 19 March 2013 becoming the first Jesuit pontiff and the first leader of the Catholic Church from the Southern Hemisphere.
