Pope Leo XIV meets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, at the Vatican, July 2, 2025. FRANCESCO SFORZA / VIA REUTERS
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday, April 13, condemned US President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable," after the US pontiff spoke out against the Middle East war. "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war," she said in a statement.
It represents a rare rebuke of Trump by Meloni, a far-right leader who has sought to be a bridge between the conservative US president and European leaders. Meloni earlier put out a statement supporting Pope Leo's efforts at peace and reconciliation in a trip to Africa, which began Monday, just hours after Trump launched a scathing criticism of the first US pontiff. "I thought the meaning of my statement this morning was clear, but I will restate it more explicitly. I find President Trump's words about the Holy Father unacceptable," she said.
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