Italy rallies round pope as Trump attack tests ties with Meloni

THE DANGER OF GOING AFTER POPES

The omission was leapt on by political opponents, who sense that Meloni‘s closeness to Trump is becoming an electoral handicap in a country where 66 per cent of people have a negative view of the US leader, tied to his aggressive foreign policy.

“As a Catholic, I am outraged by a prime minister who invokes Christian values but cannot find the strength and courage to condemn Trump‘s unacceptable blasphemy against the pope and the Catholic world,” said Angelo Bonelli, a prominent figure in the left-wing AVS party, who referenced a later post by Trump showing an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has also in the past associated himself with Trump, was more explicit in his criticism of the US leader, highlighting how Europe’s far-right is trying to draw back from the MAGA orbit.

“Pope 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,” he said in a statement.

The pope is the bishop of Rome and spiritual leader to millions of Italian Catholics, making politicians of all stripes extremely wary about taking him on.

“It has been centuries since such a blatant act of aggression against the Roman Pontiff was seen,” said former centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, adding that it was vital for Catholics and non-believers alike to defend Leo.

“He is, after all, a ‘builder of bridges,’ unlike Trump, a destroyer of relationships and of civilisation. The only advantage is this: Trumps come and go, popes remain,” he said.