THE President, Mrs Robinson, flies into Rome this afternoon at the start of a four-day private visit to Italy and the Vatican, which will be marked by a speech at the United Nations World Food Programme tomorrow and include with a private audience with Pope John Paul in the Vatican on Saturday.
After meetings this afternoon with the presidents of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Ms Nicola Mancino and Mr Luciano Violante respectively, the President will host a reception at the lrish Embassy in Rome for the
Irish community this evening.
Tomorrow, in a speech to the World Food Programme to mark International Women's Day, she is expected to touch on a variety of developing-world issues including poverty, starvation and human rights. She may refer to her own experience in travels in Africa and Asia as well as to Ireland's famine experience of the last century.
On Saturday, the high point of her visit, she will be received by Pope John Paul in a private audience in the Vatican. Irish media reports earlier this week suggesting the President may have been snubbed by the private nature of the Vatican visit and by the non-awarding of papal honours are misleading: the majority of Vatican audiences are private and are not marked by honorary awards, papal knighthoods etc.
Saturday will be the first time the President has been received by the Pope in the Vatican: the last Irish Presidential visit was made in 1989 by the then president, Dr Patrick Hillery.
During her four days in Rome, the President will also be received by Italian President Mr Oscar Luigi Scalfaro: on Sunday she will meet members of the Irish clergy in Rome during visits to the churches of San Clemente and San lsidora, run respectively by Irish Dominicans and Franciscans.