Irene Pivetti

"As a citizen, and as President of the Chamber of Deputies, I bow to the Constitution and pledge to strictly fulfil my institutional mandate. As a Catholic, I cannot but entrust my work in this Parliament – and, in prayer, the life of the nation – to the will of God, to whom the destinies of all nations and of history belong."

"[On constitutional reform] We will have to tackle specific constitutional changes together, and this is why our sense of responsibility towards all Italians must be all the greater, at a time when they have called upon us to write a new chapter in our history."

"(About the contradiction highlighted by Gianfranco Fini between being an institutional figure and a member of the Lega Nord) Being a member of the Lega is not unconstitutional or unlawful. I remain a Lega MP, even though I am not taking any action in this capacity, because I respect the rules. [...] In this Parliament there are committee chairmen who were officers of the Republic of Salò. And Mr Fini should know that very well."

"(About the possibility of criminal charges for the secessionist remarks made by Umberto Bossi) The opinions expressed by MPs in the Chamber are beyond reproach. A constitutional expert should weigh in on this, but as far as I am concerned, freedom of expression takes precedence over everything. In the Chamber, at least. Of course, it would be a different matter if Bossi, outside Montecitorio, were to tell his supporters, ‘Get ready, we’re going to secede’."

"(About the secession called for by Umberto Bossi) The only thing that is sacrosanct in the Constitution is the republican form of government, yet we have had a monarchist party for years. If the rules of democracy are respected, there are no problems."

"(About the Mantua parliament) There has been endless rambling and pointless squabbling about that, but no one has pointed out that in Italy there is no chamber called ‘Parliament’: there is a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The one in Mantua, I believe, has a different name."

"I’ve learnt not to yearn for things, but to make the best of what I have."

"I’m a person who moves on – not in terms of my feelings or values, but in terms of my professional experiences and life in general."

"Faith is part of my body, just like the nervous system, the bones or the blood: you know you have all these things, but you don’t always mention them."

"The rest of the cast, just to be fair, was made up as follows. The mother of a child who had received a miracle from Padre Pio. The friar who acts as spokesperson for the Padre Pio Foundation. The Catholic scholar Vittorio Messori, who recounted having received a miracle from Padre Pio: a letter had been delivered to his home just one hour after being posted by Padre Pio. Luciano Rispoli, who was married by Padre Pio. And above all the devout Irene Pivetti, who never met Padre Pio but is living proof of the existence of miracles: no one can rationally explain how she managed to become Speaker of the House."

"Irene Pivetti. She had received so much from the League and threw it all away."

"She's no turncoat, but what happened to her is monstrous. Today's Pivetti, all leather and studs, bald and with her breasts exposed, looks like the daughter of that woman in the Chamber of Deputies with her scarf and little suit."