"Dear friends, today I turn seventy. To the Lord and to my parents, I express my gratitude, as well as to all those who have included me in their prayers". With these words, Pope Leo XIV, in a message entrusted to X, greeted the faithful on his 70th birthday, the first celebrated on the papal throne. Messages of congratulations arrived from religious institutions (the Italian Episcopal Conference declared: "In these difficult times, we join you, Holy Father, in the invocation for an 'unarmed and disarming peace' in all circumstances of violence that have scarred great sections of the earth. While we persist in our efforts to support populations that are experiencing suffering through acts of solidarity and human promotion, we hope that the unity of intent, of voices, and of prayers rising from all over the world to plead for peaceful solutions may soon find a hearing"), and from the highest offices of the State. Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Republic, recalled "the numerous young people who responded to your invitation and gathered around you on the Tor Vergata plain last August, on the occasion of the Jubilee dedicated to them". Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni assured: “I am certain that the Italian people will never fail to show You their affection and devotion".