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[Alessandra Tarantino\/AP] <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
US President Donald Trump\u2019s attack on Pope Leo was \u201cunacceptable,\u201d Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on \u200bMonday, joining forces with politicians of all colours in springing to the pontiff\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n
The statement represented an extremely rare public rebuke of \u200cTrump from Meloni, who has cultivated particularly close ties with the US president, underscoring widespread anger in Italy over his broadside on Pope Leo.<\/p>\n
Trump set off the furore by calling Leo \u201cterrible\u201d in a long tirade on Sunday. He subsequently posted an AI image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, sparking further outrage among Christians who saw the image as blasphemous.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo, leader of the world\u2019s \u200b1.4 billion Catholics, swiftly responded, telling reporters he had \u201cno fear\u201d of the Trump administration and promising to continue speaking out against the US-led war with \u200bIran and in defense of migrants.<\/p>\n
Meloni issued an initial statement backing Leo as he flew off on an ambitious four-nation visit to \u2060Africa, but made no specific mention of Trump\u2019s broadside.<\/p>\n
Opposition politicians accused her of lacking the courage to directly challenge Trump, prompting her to issue a second \u200bstatement later in the day to clarify her position.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find President Trump\u2019s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and \u200bit is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
THE DANGER OF GOING AFTER POPES<\/strong><\/p>\n Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump\u2019s inauguration in 2025 and she had hoped their friendship would boost her standing at home and abroad.<\/p>\n However, Trump risks becoming a liability, with 66% of Italians having a negative view \u200bof the US leader. Pollsters say Meloni\u2019s ties to the White House might have been a factor in her defeat last month in a referendum on judicial \u200breform.<\/p>\n Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has also in the past associated himself closely with Trump, also distanced himself from the US leader on Monday, highlighting how Europe\u2019s far-right is \u200ctrying to \u2060draw back from the MAGA orbit.<\/p>\n \u201cPope Leo is a spiritual leader for billions of Catholics, but beyond that, if there is one person striving for peace, it is Pope Leo, and so attacking him does not seem either wise or helpful,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n The pope is the bishop of Rome and spiritual leader to millions of Italian Catholics, making politicians of all stripes wary about taking him on.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been centuries since such a blatant act of aggression against the Roman \u200bpontiff was seen,\u201d said former center-left \u200bPrime Minister Matteo Renzi, adding that \u2060it was vital for Catholics and non-believers alike to defend Leo. [Reuters]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n