Chilean President Gabriel Boric begins a tour to Rome this Monday, which will last until October 15 and whose main focus is his first bilateral and private meeting with him on an official visit to the Holy See. The president is five months away, and his trip to Italy is one of the last he will make between now and March 11, 2026. In his busy international agenda, at the end of October and beginning of November he will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) in South Korea, and will also make a state visit to Indonesia. In November he will travel within the region, to the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), in Belém do Pará, Brazil.
In the delegation he is accompanied by the chancellor and the minister general secretary of the Presidency Macarena Lobos, whose portfolio is liaison with the Vatican and the churches. In addition, Boric has traveled with four senators from transversal political formations: the president of the Senate Manuel José Ossandón and Sergio Gahona, both from the traditional right; Loreto Carvajal of the PPD, of the center-left and Juan Ignacio Latorre, of the Frente Amplio.
On the eve of the tour, Boric met on Friday with the cardinal and archbishop of Santiago Fernando Chomali, in a meeting in which they addressed the objectives of the visit to the Vatican State. “I think that [el Pontífice] is an important voice in these times. Recently, reading and studying precisely for this visit, I reviewed the meaning of the word mercy, which is letting the misery of another person enter your heart. I think that in times where some promote radical individualism, it is important that we return to humanity,” he said. He added that the meeting “has that meaning beyond the legitimate differences we may have with the Catholic Church.”
“The voice of the Pope today has been an important voice and his message of peace, of defense of multilateralism, of respect for diversity, of and promotion of social justice, I believe is also relevant for Chile,” said Boric.
Historical memory and the crisis in Gaza
The president will visit the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica Santa María Maggiore, where the tomb of , who died on April 21, is located, to whom he will pay tribute.
The Government has reported that Boric will address with the Pope different matters related to human rights, historical memory, the global challenges of the triple climate crisis and artificial intelligence, in addition to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In this regard, on October 6, the Vatican spoke out in favor of Gaza in different parts of the world after the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin—with whom Boric will hold a bilateral meeting—said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper that it is a sign “that we are not condemned to indifference. We must take seriously that desire for peace, that desire for compromise… Our future depends on “The future of our world depends on it.”
Boric will also speak with the Pope about the work of the Catholic Church (1973-1990) in defense of victims of human rights violations through . The event will also highlight the role of the social leader, who died on August 30 and denounced the abuses and crimes of the dictatorship before Juan Pablo II during his visit to Chile in 1987, something the resident also dared to do.
The tour to Rome also includes a meeting between Boric and the president of Italy, . But he will not meet with the Prime Minister of Italy, an appointment to which the authority would not have responded. In mid-September, Meloni met in Rome with the Chilean presidential candidate of the radical and conservative right.
In addition, Boric will lead a seminar commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack in Rome, during the Pinochet dictatorship, of the former Chilean deputy and minister, the Christian Democrat Bernardo Leighton and his wife Anita Fresno, which occurred on October 5, 1975. Both were exiled in Italy and survived with serious consequences.
On Tuesday the 14th, the Chilean president will lead the Investment Forum of the Hand in Hand Initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and will hold a bilateral meeting with the director general of the international organization. In the afternoon, remotely, Boric will inaugurate the National Business Meeting (Enade).
His tour ends on October 15, with his participation in the Chile-Italy Business Meeting, organized by InvestChile, which will also be attended by more than 100 Italian investors. With the participation of nearly 100 Italian investors, the main opportunities and advantages of Chile in the commercial field will be addressed.
