New York City Mayor Eric Adams boarded a flight to Rome, the Italian capital, on Friday, May 10, for the 2nd Edition of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, as well as plans to conduct bilateral meetings with leaders and stakeholders on issues ranging from immigration to housing.

 

“I’m traveling to Rome because the solutions to the problems facing our city, country and planet must be solved together, by sharing ideas and strategies,” Adam said in an accompanying message. “We will be talking infrastructure, climate change, the asylum seeker crisis and so much more. Through hard work and faith, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.”

 

According to the mayor’s agenda for Friday, May 10, he and Rome Deputy Mayor of Mobility Eugenio Patanè will visit the Colosseum Metro Station construction site. Then, the mayor and Rome Deputy Mayor of Heritage and Housing Andrea Zevi will visit the Urban Regeneration Site of Testaccio. 

 

Next, the mayor will participate in a series of roundtable discussions with Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Afterwards, the mayor will meet with Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri.

Subsequently, the mayor will tour the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel and will attend Cardinal Mauro Gambetti’s opening remarks for the World Meeting on Human Fraternity. Finally, the mayor will attend the World Meeting on Human Fraternity dinner. 

 

As he boarded his flight, Adams, pointing to his Knicks baseball cap and in reference to Friday’s 7 p.m. basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, the mayor said, “First of all, most important thing, let’s go Knicks. Let’s win it!”

 

He continued, “Headed to Italy, part of an overall finding our common ground grounds [on] how we deal with migrants, asylum seekers, how we deal with affordable housing, our economy, sustainability, just some important issues, and the most significant for me is the opportunity to meet our Holy Father, the Pope, his Holiness, and this is the start of the journey.”

On Wednesday, May 8, Katie Honan from The City publication, reported that according to a social media post by the mayor’s son, the mayor’s brother, Conrad, has died. “According to the mayor’s son on Insta, Conrad was [with] the mayor as they were arrested as teens and allegedly beaten by police officers inside the 103rd Pct in Jamaica,” Honan wrote. “It’s unclear when the mayor traveled to South Carolina for the services.”

 

On Thursday, May 9, Instagram user realarmstrongwilliams posted a photo to the platform showing the mayor, apparently in South Carolina, with the accompanying narrative, “Our deepest condolences to NYC Mayor Eric Adams who attended his brother’s funeral in New Holly, South Carolina yesterday. His brother, Conrad, was a farmer in South Carolina. My brother, Bruce, who was named business owner of the year in Marion County, is pictured with him. So many of our leaders have deep southern roots.”

 

On the same day, The New York Times reported that Bernard Adams, another brother of the mayor’s has joined forces with a former model to start an organization that aims to improve New York City children’s access to arts and culture.

In February 2023, The New York Post reported that another brother of the mayor’s, Bernard Adams, was stepping down from his role as the mayor’s security advisor.