Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday his government shared the same values as the Catholic Church, including support of the family and the defence of human rights.Berlusconi was speaking soon after meeting Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican for his first papal audience since he was re-elected in parliamentary elections in April.
Benedict and Berlusconi met for 40 minutes in the Vatican library and exchanged gifts.
"We support the church, we believe in traditional Christian values, the inalienable right to life, the role and value of the family and in defending human rights," Berlusconi said on Italian television after the meeting
"We believe, above all, in respect and love for the weakest, the sick, children, the elderly and the marginalised."
Berlusconi was accompanied by Gianni Letta and Paolo Bonaiuti, under-secretaries of state to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and the prime minister later met the Vatican's Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone.
In a statement released after the meeting, the Vatican said the two leaders discussed prospects for the spiritual, ethical and social development of Europe, as well as international issues such as the Middle East.
"The two sides reiterated their desire to continue their constructive collaboration at the bilateral level and in the context of the international community," the Vatican said.
The pontiff recently called for families, including migrant and immigrant families, to be defended with courage and patience.
"One must not forget that the family, including the migrant or itinerant family, is the original cell of society and must not be destroyed," Benedict said in May.
The Italian government recently launched a harsh police crackdown on the Rom, a minority also known as Gypsies and has signalled stronger measures to clamp down on illegal immigrants.
The two leaders previously met at the Vatican in November 2005, months after Benedict's election to the pontificate.
Berlusconi, who was then premier, lost power in a 2006 election but returned to office earlier this year.
His new coalition no longer includes the Christian Democratic Party that is very close to the Vatican, but Berlusconi supports dialogue with the church.
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