Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, issued a sharp rebuke Monday against former U.S. President Donald Trump for his social media tirade against Pope Leo XIV, labeling the remarks "unacceptable."
"I find President Trump's words toward the Holy Father unacceptable," Meloni stated. "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he calls for peace and condemns every form of war." Her criticism marks a notable moment, given her own conservative political alignment and previous diplomatic warmth toward Trump.
Trump's Social Media Broadside
The controversy erupted Sunday night when Trump launched a lengthy attack on the first American pope via his Truth Social platform. He accused Pope Leo of being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," specifically targeting the pontiff's concerns over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and its confrontational stance toward Iran.
"I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote, a claim not substantiated by any public statement from the Vatican. He added, "And I don't want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I'm doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do." Trump concluded by urging the pope to "get his act together" and stop "catering to the Radical Left."
Papal Response and Refusal to Apologize
In response, Pope Leo, speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane, asserted he is "not afraid" of articulating Church teachings. "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for," he said, according to The Associated Press.
Trump, however, doubled down on Monday, explicitly stating he owes the pope no apology. "Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran," Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office. This refusal to de-escalate follows a pattern of the former president digging in during diplomatic spats.
The foreign policy dimension of the clash is central. The pope has voiced apprehension about heightened tensions with Iran, while the Trump administration has pursued a maximum-pressure campaign. This includes the recent enforcement of a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that risks global energy market instability.
AI-Generated Image Adds to Controversy
Compounding the unusual diplomatic episode, Trump also posted a since-deleted AI-generated image on Sunday depicting himself in a manner resembling Jesus Christ healing the sick. When questioned, Trump claimed he believed the image portrayed him as a doctor. The post was later removed following significant criticism, an incident detailed in our report on how Trump defended then removed the AI image after conservative outcry.
The public feud between a sitting pope and a former U.S. president is historically rare and underscores the deepening cultural and political divides influencing international discourse. Meloni's intervention, as a fellow conservative leader, highlights the unease Trump's rhetoric can cause even among ideological allies, particularly on matters involving a major religious figure and diplomatic protocol.
