Visit of the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate, and a parliamentary delegation, to the Republic of Italy, the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
From October 8 to 13, 2006, the Speaker of the Senate led a parliamentary delegation to the Republic of Italy, the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. The delegates were the Honourable Wilbert Joseph Keon, Senator; the Honourable George Furey, Senator, Paul C. Bélisle, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments; Mrs. Janelle Feldstein, Chief of Staff and Mr. Jean-François Pagé, Secretary to the delegation.
During their stay in the Republic of Italy, the delegation met with:
- His Excellency Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Republic of Italy;
- His Excellency Franco Marini, Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Italy;
- The Honourable Pier Luigi Castagnetti, Member and Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies;
- The Honourable Carlo Leoni, Member and Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies;
- The Honourable Pier Ferdinando Cassini, Member of the Chamber of Deputies and President of the Interparliamentary Union;
- The Honourable Luciano Violante, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies;
- The Honourable Pietro Folena, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Chamber of Deputies;
- The Honourable Umberto Ranieri, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the European Union of the Chamber of Deputies; and
- Professor Massimo Egidi, Rector of L.U.I.S.S. Guido Carli University.
The Speaker's objectives for this visit were to:
- Revitalize and strengthen the ties between Italy and Canada;
- Stimulate contacts between parliamentarians in both countries on matters of common interest; and
- Increase contacts between Canadian and Italian university students.
During its visit to the Holy See, the delegation met with:
- His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI;
- Cardinal Tarciso Bertone, Secretary of State;
- Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, Chairman of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace;
- Monsignor Rino Fisichella, Rector, Pontifical Lateranense University; and
- Archbishop J. Michael Miller, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
The Speaker's objectives for this visit were to:
- Consolidate the friendship between the Holy See and Canada;
- Emphasize and develop Canada's diversity of interests while continuing to maintain good relations in all areas of common interest; and
- Increase the number of Canadian university students in institutions administered by the Vatican.
The Speaker and the delegation had the honour of being invited to an official lunch hosted by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Fra' Andrew Bertie.