New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has won a second vote of confidence in parliament, securing his government's mandate to help resolve Italy's debt crisis.

The lower house approved the new government Friday by a vote of 556-61. The large margin followed a similar easy win in the Senate on Thursday.

Mr. Monti's unelected, technocratic government was formed after Italy's financial crisis forced his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, to resign.

Mr. Monti, an economics professor and former European Union commissioner, took office Wednesday and has vowed to impose stringent reforms to generate economic growth. He says Italians will have to make sacrifices to get the economy moving forward again.

Europe has already bailed out three countries — Greece, Ireland and Portugal — but the Italian economy is the third largest in the 17-nation eurozone and considered too big to rescue.

Prime Minister Monti said Friday that he will meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Strasbourg next Thursday to discuss the eurozone crisis.

Mr. Monti has said his government will consider overhauling the entire tax system. Measures might include cutting taxes on employers and providing tax breaks for hiring women. He said he may bring back an unpopular property tax eliminated under Mr. Berlusconi, adding that shifting the tax burden from employers to consumers will encourage growth.

On Friday, Prime Minister Monti had his first meeting with Pope Benedict since being chosen to lead the country. The two met briefly at Rome's airport before the pope left for a three-day trip to West Africa.

On Thursday, thousands of students across Italy marched against the new government. Demonstrators protesting budget cuts and a lack of jobs clashed with police in Rome, Milan, and other cities.