President Giorgio Napolitano on Monday became the first Italian head of state from a Communist background to be received by a pope in the Vatican.
Napolitano, who was a member of the Italian Communist Party for over 40 years before it evolved into the Democratic Left in the 1990s, spoke with Benedict XVI in the library of the papal apartments for about 25 minutes.
In their speeches he and the pope talked about the roles of Church and State in modern Italy, an issue which has dogged the nation's history and which underlies the accusations sometimes levelled at the Vatican of interfering.
"The Church is neither a political agent nor can it be silent," the German pontiff said, reiterating the Vatican's frequent demand that it should be able to speak its mind on moral and social issues.
The pope denied that the Church's desire to make its voice heard implied a bid to impose its views. For the Church to be able to provide its "precious contribution", it needed to be "free" to give its opinion, the pope went on, calling for ever greater collaboration between the Italian state and the Church.
Responding to pope's address, Napolitano stressed that "some choices belong to the State" but at the same time recognised the Catholic Church's role in drawing attention to moral and ethical questions in modern society.
"Politics should never lose its spiritual and idealistic component, the ethical and humanly respectable part of its nature," he said.
The president also appeared to take the Vatican's side on the question of Europe's Christian rootes, which many Catholics wanted mentioned in the draft European Constitution.
In the end they lost the battle but the constitutional treaty then foundered anyway because of popular opposition in some EU states.
Talking about the need for European unity on the world stage, he referred to "the great shared values which reflect the historic role and the continuing lesson of Christianity" in the continent.
A statement released by the Vatican later said that Italian Catholics would continue to defend "the dignity of Man, life and the family" and to work for the "good of society".
Referring to the "cordial talks" between the pope and Napolitano, the statement confirmed the "good relations" between Italy and the Vatican.
