Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has broken her silence on Donald Trump‘s controversial remarks on Pope Leo, publicly rebuking the U.S. president for his verbal attack. The criticism is a rare fracture in the relationship between Meloni and Trump, two leaders who have maintained close political ties.
Giorgia Meloni criticizes Donald Trump for Pope rant
President Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Leo was “unacceptable,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on April 13, joining forces with politicians across the ideological spectrum in defending the pontiff.
The statement represented an extremely rare public rebuke of Trump from Meloni, who has cultivated particularly close ties with him. Her willingness to speak out appears to be a testament to the widespread anger in Italy over Trump’s broadside against the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
For context, Donald Trump set off the furore by calling Pope Leo “terrible” in a lengthy tirade on April 12. He later posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, leading to further outrage among Christians who viewed the image as blasphemous. Pope Leo responded, telling reporters he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and promising to continue speaking out against the U.S.-led war on Iran and in defence of migrants.
The Italian leader first voiced support for the pontiff as he began a four-nation trip across Africa, though her words carefully avoided naming the American president. Italy’s opposition called out what they saw as political timidity, arguing she was sidestepping a direct confrontation with Trump. That pressure forced Meloni’s hand, and within hours she returned with a stronger message.
“I find President Trump’s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,” she said (via Reuters). The pope is the bishop of Rome and spiritual guide to billions of Catholics.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
