As the Pope flew back from Egypt where he met General al-Sisi, the very first thing he was asked about on the in-flight press conference was the case of Giulio Regeni, the young Italian graduate student who was tortured to death in Egypt last year. Major questions have been raised about the involvement of the Egyptian authorities.
Before the trip, the parents of the murdered man met the Pope and appealed to him to raise the matter with General al-Sisi. Mr and Mrs Regeni are still hoping to find out what really happened to their son. They are not alone in this, as many in Italy have been mobilised in a campaign called “Truth for Giulio Regeni”. Given the high standing of the Pope in Italy, it was naturally hoped that he would help with this objective.
