FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Italian Prime Minister was caught between loyalty to the American president and the risk of losing the support of conservative voters.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni found herself on Monday facing another difficult situation created by US President Donald Trump, but this time she reacted.
The Italian prime minister, a longtime Trump ally, issued her first direct criticism of the US president since his re-election in 2024, in an attempt to maintain the support of her traditional Catholic base.
Over the weekend, the American leader attacked Pope Leo XIV, who has emerged as a strong moral critic of the US-Israeli war in Iran, calling it senseless and calling for peace, while exposing the tensions that have been accumulating for months between the White House and the Pope.
"I find President Trump's statements about the Holy Father unacceptable," Meloni said in a statement on Monday, adding, "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church and it is right and proper for him to call for peace and condemn all forms of war."
Trump's outburst has put Italian right-wing politicians under pressure to defend the pope, as their voters are torn between nationalist conservatism and a strong connection to Catholic tradition. Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the far-right League, Matteo Salvini, a longtime Trump supporter, was particularly vocal on Monday, telling local broadcaster Telelombardia that "if anyone is working hard on the issue of peace and conflict resolution, it is Pope Leo."
"Attacking the Pope, a symbol of peace and spiritual guide for billions of Catholics, does not seem a useful or wise thing to do," he added.
Initially, Meloni was more cautious, caught between loyalty to Trump on the global political stage and respect for a religious leader with moral authority among conservative voters as the 2027 election approaches. But she was forced to take a stand as public pressure and criticism from the opposition mounted on Monday.
The president of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, condemned Trump's "unacceptable" attacks on Facebook and mocked Meloni for her refusal to take a clear position, despite her declared identity as a Christian, recalling her stance on the war in Iran as "neither condemning nor supporting."
Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist opposition party Azione, called the prime minister's failure to defend the Pope "shameful." He said it exposed Meloni's political weakness and described him as subservient to Trump, claiming the relationship had brought no benefit to Italy.
“The government has not yet realized that the pro-Russian and pro-Trump right has become toxic and is destined to lose,” Calenda told Politico.
Trump has been a dominant force shaping the tone and direction of global right-wing politics for more than a decade. But since the Iran war, his perceived influence has become increasingly problematic.
Meloni's allies acknowledge that the relationship with the US president and the war in Iran played a decisive role in the defeat of the referendum on constitutional reforms last month, while Viktor Orbán suffered a crushing defeat in Hungary despite support from the Trump administration.
In a speech to parliament last week, the Italian prime minister sought to reposition her government by distancing herself from the American leader, listing instances where she had disagreed with him, from Greenland to tariffs to Iran. In practice, however, she has often aligned herself with Trump's diplomatic initiatives and has even supported him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Leo Goretti, of the Italian Institute for International Affairs, told Politico that the political cost for Meloni could be hard to contain. “Meloni’s strategy is part of a balancing act between Trump and Italian public opinion, which is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the government’s perceived closeness to the Trump administration,” he said.
Italy is already feeling the economic effects of Trump's policies, and his attack on the Pope, "a symbol of Italian culture and identity, untouchable for most Italians," according to Goretti, will only increase attention to its proximity to Washington.
"This is a very difficult moment for the government and there is no way it can come out of it without being damaged in the eyes of public opinion," he added.
And with the war in Iran narrowing the space for ambiguity and making Meloni's balancing act much more precarious, the Italian leader was finally forced to draw a clear line on Monday.
This may result in too little, too late. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
Lini një Përgjigje