Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Italy Rejects Trump Criticism of Pope Leo, Calls Attacks ‘Unacceptable’


(MENAFN) Italy’s foreign minister on Tuesday rejected recent remarks by US President Donald Trump targeting Pope Leo XIV, stating that criticism of the pontiff is “neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace,” according to reports.

In a post on US social media platform X, the minister expressed support for the pope, saying, “The attacks against the Holy Father @Pontifex_it, head and spiritual guide of the Catholic Church, are neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace.”

He added that the pope’s message and actions promote “dialogue, the value of human life, and freedom,” describing these as principles shared by Italy’s diplomatic approach.

The comments came after Trump accused the pope of “endangering a lot of Catholics,” and claimed in an interview that the pontiff believes “it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

The exchange marks a further escalation in tensions between the White House and the Vatican, following earlier papal criticism of the US-Israeli conflict involving Iran.

The dispute comes ahead of a scheduled Vatican meeting between Pope Leo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to reports.

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