ROME — Pope Leo did not go far afield for his first official trip abroad Tuesday — making his way in a motorcade from Vatican City through Rome to visit Italy’s president.

The head of the Catholic Church was driven through the centre of Rome escorted by the presidential guard calvary and motorcycles in a slow three-kilometre procession to the Quirinale Palace.

In an ornate ballroom, a red-and-gold-attired Leo urged Italy to “keep alive your attitude of openness and solidarity” towards migrants, calling migration “among the great challenges of our time”.

“I express gratitude for the generous assistance this country offers to migrants who increasingly knock at its doors, as well as for its efforts in combating human trafficking,” said the pope, while citing the need for “constructive in

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