Italian PM hails Pope Francis' help in hard times

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mourned Pope Francis on Monday as a friend who had given her comfort in tough times and done his duty to the end.

"The Pope and I had a more active relationship than was apparent. It went well beyond our respective institutional roles," she told Italian state broadcaster RAI.

"We've met many times, even just to exchange opinions. He was able to give comfort in very difficult moments, I have many memories of the Pope," she added in a broken voice.

The 88-year-old pontiff died on Monday a day after his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on March 23 from a lengthy hospital stay for pneumonia.

"The fact he's leaving on Easter Monday, it's like he wanted to do his duty until the very end," Meloni added, saying he had appeared fatigued at their most recent meeting.

She said the Pope kept in a drawer some artwork her daughter had made for him. She was also proud of convincing him to become the first pontiff to address a Group of Seven summit in 2024.

"We say goodbye to the Holy Father with a heart full of sadness," she added in an official statement.

(Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Toby Chopra and Andrew Cawthorne)