Taoiseach Micheál Martin has held talks with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
The meeting with Ms Meloni took place ahead of Ireland's presidency of the EU Council from July, and a day after he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Both Mr Martin and Ms Meloni discussed reducing energy costs across Europe "at length" during their meeting.
The Taoiseach said that competitiveness will be a "key focus" of its presidency of the EU Council.
He said Ireland would advance the 'One Europe, One Market' roadmap, which aims to secure a "step change" in Europe's economic performance through simplified rules, deepening the Single Market, and driving AI transformation.
Reducing energy costs across Europe is also part of the strategy, which Mr Martin said they discussed "at length".
"The deadline we have set for ourselves for this task (the roadmap) is very ambitious, but as president we will put our full weight behind achieving them," he said during a joint press conference at the Palazzo Chigi after the meeting.
"I am in full agreement with prime minister Meloni that the competitiveness challenge is vital for the continued prosperity and success in Europe.
"We are committed to giving this our best shot," he said of negotiating the EU budget at a time of economic "challenge".
Mr Martin said they both discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
He praised Italy's "significant" contribution to humanitarian aid for Gaza and said both nations were "unswerving" in their support for Ukraine.
He said they had "successful" discussions on a range of issues and thanked Ms Meloni for her "warm" welcome and support for the Irish presidency of the EU.
Pope Leo 'has genuine desire' for end to wars
The Taoiseach said that Pope Leo XIV is determined to try to move the world in a direction away from war, following his 45-minute meeting with the Pontiff in the Vatican this morning.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mr Martin said: "My sense is he has a genuine desire for an end to the wars that are happening in the Middle East, and the war in Sudan, in particular, and Ukraine."
He said they did not get into the specifics of the Gaza Flotilla issue, but that they had discussed the broader issues of the war in Gaza, the conflict in the West Bank and the Iran War.
"I made the point to him that what enabled us to achieve peace on the island of Ireland was that there was a fundamental political will on all sides, and that seems to be absent in the Middle East, but that is the fundamental prerequisite for peace.
"He was interested in that, and I get the sense that the Pope was really very anxious to try and get the world to move in a different direction to the one that's moving in at the moment, which is one of increasing conflict and war, which is having terrible effects on people."
Pope Leo and the Taoiseach met in the Papal Library in the Apostolic Palace.
Mr Martin said they had discussed the issue of clerical abuse in Ireland and the question of redress for victims.
He said he had asked Pope Leo that "every effort would be made to get the religious orders to engage proactively on the matter of redress".
He said the Government had established a commission of inquiry into day schools and boarding schools, and one of the orders had come forward, "but a lot of orders haven't".
He said assets were being sold and the Government wanted those assets allocated to the redress issue.
"The Government will continue its engagement with religious orders, and I think the sense is here that people do need to take ownership of this in terms of religious orders."
He said he did not want to put words into the Pope's mouth, however, he added, "He's very clearly he's of the disposition the church has to have ownership of this.
"We discussed the issue of trauma itself, that it's not something that [is resolved through] one act or one engagement. He's very aware of that, that this is an enduring program of work that doesn't begin with a commission of inquiry or acknowledgement of guilt, but that it has to be worked on constantly and on a continuing basis."
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Pope Leo and Taoiseach discussed need for restoration of multilateralism
Mr Martin said he and Pope Leo also had discussed the need for the restoration of multilateralism.
"I made the point to him that many powers, including many governments within the European Union and outside of the European Union, are coming together as a countervailing approach in terms of ensuring that multilateralism can hold.
"That can manifest itself in trade agreements, it can manifest itself in technological agreements between different countries and between Europe and other areas," said the Taoiseach.
"We had a discussion on conflict, and he was interested in the cessation of conflict in Northern Ireland, but also, how does one sustain a peace? How does one nurture peace?
"I pointed out to him that it's one thing to achieve peace in terms of an agreement, but the much more difficult task is actually nurturing that peace along, building reconciliation, and he was interested in the Irish experience," he added.
He said he had told the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin that Ireland was "ready to support through our experience and officials that we have - and people who have been involved in our peace process - to be supportive of any work that the Vatican is involved in in terms of conflict resolution".
"He responded positively to that, because it's very clear human dignity and suffering, and the end of violence is very much the top priority for Pope Leo," he said.
He said the Pope would be welcome to visit Ireland, although he acknowledged that the Pontiff had a very busy schedule.
Mr Martin was also due to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin for an hour-long meeting.
Very pleased to meet with the Pope Leo XIV in The Vatican today.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 22, 2026
We discussed the need for peace globally and reflected on the Irish experience of not just achieving an agreement, but nurturing peace and building reconciliation. 🇮🇪🇻🇦
📸: Vatican Media pic.twitter.com/PtieyGrOyV
Pope Leo was inaugurated just over a year ago, the first US pontiff, and a spiritual leader seen as combining the social justice instincts of his predecessor Pope Francis, with some of the more conservative priorities of the late Pope Benedict XVI.
In recent months, he has become distinctly outspoken about what he has condemned as the current zeal for war.
Although he has not mentioned US President Donald Trump by name, Mr Trump has angrily hit out at the Pope for apparently criticising US foreign policy.
Following the Vatican meetings, the Taoiseach visited the Pontifical Irish College in Rome to meet members of the college community and view its archives.
