JAKARTA - Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni on Monday confirmed that US President Donald Trump's attack on Pope Leo XV was unacceptable.
PM Meloni issued an initial statement supporting Pope Leo as he flew for a visit to four African countries, but did not specifically mention President Trump's attacks.
Opposition politicians accused him of being too timid to challenge Trump directly, prompting him to issue a second statement to clarify his position.
"I consider President Trump's words against the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and proper for him to call for peace and condemn any form of war," he said, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (14/4).
It was a rare public rebuke by PM Meloni, who has cultivated a close relationship with President Trump, underscoring widespread anger in Italy over the attack on the Supreme Leader of the Catholic Church.
President Trump sparked outrage by calling Pope Leo "horrible" in a lengthy speech on Sunday. He then uploaded an AI image depicting himself as a figure like Jesus, sparking further outrage among Christians who saw the image as blasphemy.
Pope Leo, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, was quick to respond, telling reporters he was "not afraid" of the Trump administration and vowed to continue speaking out against the US-led war with Iran and defending migrants.
PM Meloni himself was the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration in 2025. He hopes their friendship will improve his position at home and abroad.
However, President Trump risks being a burden, with 66 percent of Italians having a negative view of the US leader. Poll researchers say PM Meloni's relationship with the White House may have been a factor in his defeat last month in a referendum on judicial reform.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who in the past also had close associations with President Trump, also distanced himself from the US leader on Monday, highlighting how the European right is trying to move away from the MAGA orbit (Make America Great Again), President Trump's campaign slogan.
"Pope Leo is the spiritual leader of billions of Catholics, but more than that, if there is one person who fights for peace, it is Pope Leo, and therefore attacking him does not seem wise or beneficial," he said in a statement.
In Italy, there is a saying "Chia Mangia Papa Crepa" which roughly means "anyone who tries to devour a whale will die", a saying born from centuries of tension between the papacy and successive earthly rulers.
"Trump has made the biggest mistake of the century, because "Chia Mangia Papa Crepa" has been proven time and again," said church historian Alberto Melloni, referring to the Italian royal family, the House of Savoy, which repeatedly clashed with the Vatican during the 19th century, but eventually disappeared while the Papacy remained.
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