Pope Benedict XVI, in his role as bishop of Rome, voiced alarm over the level of poverty and urban decay in the city as he met local government chiefs in the Vatican on Thursday.
During an audience with Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni and Lazio regional president Piero Marazzo, the pope said more and more people in Rome and the surrounding area were struggling to make ends meet.
He also denounced what he called an ''education emergency'' in which young people were growing up without any firm moral values and in a context of ''nihilism''.
Benedict, who has lived in the Italian capital for 25 years, has not visited its parishes in the systematic way his predecessor did but he keeps tabs on the situation through a cardinal who acts as his 'vicar' for Rome.
During his speech, the pope drew attention to the ''tragic'' death two months ago of a 47-year-old Italian woman who was assaulted and robbed by an immigrant living in a squalid hut near a Rome train station.
''A tragic event like the killing of Giovanna Reggiani suddenly brought the city's residents face to face with not only the problem of security but also the serious urban decay in certain areas of Rome,'' he said.
The media spotlight which focused on Reggiani's murderer, a 24-year-old Romanian, highlighted the miserable conditions in which many immigrants in the capital live.
Despite the general condemnation of the killer, some observers said that when immigrants lived in utter poverty it was inevitable that some would turn to crime.
''Constant and concrete efforts are needed to guarantee security and to ensure everyone, immigrants in particular, has the bare minimum that is needed for an honest and dignified life,'' Benedict said.
The latest figures from national statistics bureau Istat showed a slight rise in the number of people living in poverty all over Italy. In central Italy, the figure was 6.9% and Istat said families with elderly members were struggling the most.
'NOT FORGOTTEN'.
The centre-left mayor of Rome did not comment on the pope's speech after he left the Vatican. But in his own speech to the pontiff he said his administration worked ''day after day'' to ensure that the city's poor were not forgotten.
Marazzo also defended the policies of his centre-left regional government.
Responding to a papal warning that local administrations must not facilitate civil unions or other marriage-type arrangements, he said the institution of the family based on marriage was protected by the Italian constitution.
He also noted that the birthrate in the region was climbing.
Parties in the centre right opposition seized on the pope's remarks as evidence of the centre left's ''failure'' to govern Rome and Lazio properly.
''More than a condemnation, it sounds like an excommunication for Veltroni,'' Northern League senator Roberto Calderoli said.
The Forza Italia party of former premier Silvio Berlusconi also talked about the ''flop'' of Veltroni's policies while the rightwing National Alliance said the pope's words had ''slashed the Left's veil of hypocrisy''.
