Meloni issues rare criticism of Trump after his attack on the Pope

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump's attack on Pope Francis is "unacceptable," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said yesterday, joining forces with politicians of all stripes to defend the Pope, AFP reported.

The statement represented an extremely rare public rebuke of Trump by Meloni, who has cultivated particularly close ties with the US president, highlighting widespread anger in Italy over his criticism of Pope Francis.

Trump had sparked outrage by calling Francis "terrible" in a lengthy tirade on Sunday. He then posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, causing further indignation among Christians who found the image blasphemous.

Pope Francis, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, responded swiftly, telling reporters he was "not afraid" of the Trump administration and vowing to continue speaking out against the US-led war on Iran and in defence of migrants.

Meloni issued an initial statement supporting Francis as she flew off on an ambitious four-country visit to Africa, but did not specifically mention Trump's criticism. Opposition politicians accused her of lacking the courage to challenge Trump directly, prompting her to issue a second statement later that day to clarify her position.

"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 condemn every form of war," she said.

The danger of attacking popes

Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump's 2025 inauguration and had hoped their friendship would boost her standing at home and abroad.

However, Trump risks becoming a liability, with 66 percent of Italians holding a negative opinion of the US leader. Pollsters say Meloni's ties to the White House may have been a factor in her defeat last month in a referendum on judicial reform.

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has closely associated himself with Trump in the past, has also distanced himself from the US leader, pointing out that the European far-right is trying to move out of the MAGA orbit.

"Pope Francis is the spiritual leader of billions of Catholics, but beyond that, if there is one person who strives for peace, it is Pope Francis, and therefore attacking him does not seem either wise or useful," he said in a statement.

The Pope is the bishop of Rome and the spiritual leader of millions of Italian Catholics, making politicians of all stripes cautious in confronting him.

"It has been centuries since such an overt act of aggression against a Roman Pope has been seen," said former centre-left prime minister Matteo Renzi, adding that it was vital for Catholics and non-Catholics alike to defend Francis.

"He is, after all, a 'bridge builder', unlike Trump, a destroyer of relationships and civilisation. The only advantage is this: Trump's come and go, popes remain," he said.

The comment echoed an Italian saying, "chi mangia papa crepa", which roughly translates to "he who tries to swallow the Pope dies" – a proverb born from centuries of tension between successive papacies and secular rulers.

"Trump has made the mistake of the century, because 'chi mangia papa crepa' has been proven time and again," said church historian Alberto Melloni, pointing to the Italian royal family, the House of Savoy, which repeatedly clashed with the Vatican during the 19th century, only to be wiped out while the papacy continued to exist.

Antonio Spadaro, a Catholic priest and under-secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education, said Trump's attack revealed his own weakness.

"If Francis were irrelevant, he would not deserve any comment. Instead, he is invoked, named, opposed – a sign that his words matter," Spadaro wrote on social media X.