Meloni: Trump's words towards the Pope unacceptable

 "I am deeply saddened that the President has chosen to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival, nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls". With these words Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City and president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops responded to the attacks launched Sunday evening by President Donald Trump against Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social.

In the lengthy post, Trump wrote that Leo is 'weak on crime and bad on foreign policy', that he does not want 'a Pope who finds it acceptable that Iran has a nuclear weapon' nor 'a Pope who criticises the President of the United States'.

He added that Leo 'was not on any list to become Pope and was only chosen by the Church because he was American', going so far as to say: 'If I were not in the White House, Leo would not be in the Vatican'.

The attacks came the day after the prayer vigil for peace at St. Peter's, during which the Pope had denounced "the delirium of omnipotence that is becoming more and more unpredictable and aggressive around us" and exhorted: "Enough with the idolatry of self and money! Enough with the display of force! No more war!"

"I doubt that Pope Leo XIV will lose sleep over this before he starts his pilgrimage to Africa. But the rest of us should do it for us. Because he is unbalanced, uncharitable and unchristian. Is there not a bottom in this moral misery?". The American Jesuit James Martin writes this in X.

US President Donald Trump's attack on Pope Leo XIV "is a declaration of impotence. Unable to absorb that voice, power seeks to delegitimise it". Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro writes this on X. 'Yet,' Spadaro says, 'by doing so, it implicitly recognises its weight. If Leo were irrelevant, he would not deserve a word.

Instead, he is invoked, named, opposed-a sign that his words count. It is here that the moral power of the Church emerges. Not as counter-power, but as a space in which power is judged according to a standard it does not control. Leo does not respond on the ground of controversy, and for this very reason remains beyond its reach. It is free.

And that freedom-disarming and disarming-is perhaps what is most disturbing.

And, at the same time, what matters most'.

"The Presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, renewing full communion with the Holy Father Leo XIV, expresses its regret for the words addressed to him in recent hours by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Joining with what has been said by the President of the United States Episcopal Conference, Msgr. Paul S. Coakley, he recalls that the Pope is not a political counterpart, but the Successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace. At a time marked by international conflicts and tensions, his voice represents a demanding call to the dignity of the person, to dialogue and responsibility. The Churches in Italia renew their closeness, affection and prayers to the Holy Father, hoping that everyone will respect his person and his ministry". Thus in a note by the Italian Bishops' Conference (Cei).

"I am certain that I interpret the sentiment of the faithful of the Churches of Turin and Susa in expressing sorrow and bitterness, but also support and affection for Leo XIV after the unimaginable insults pronounced by US President Donald Trump against the Pope, hit with unprecedented arrogance and vulgarity for denouncing the injustice and violence of the wars that are devastating the world. Disturbing intimidating language, culminating in the warning that 'the Pope should get his act together'.

The attacks on the Bishop of Rome, resumed even after the death of Pope Francis, clearly show that the target is not the Popes, but the Gospel of peace and justice'. Thus in a note theArchbishop of Turin, Cardinal Roberto Repole.

"The strong call for peace, so urgent in such troubled times, like the call for unity and fraternity, will contribute to nourishing awareness of the indispensable contribution that every individual and every community is called upon to make to overcome divisions and safeguard human dignity. I am certain that no one will be able to remain indifferent to these solemn appeals, addressed above all to the younger generations, called to assume the responsibility and experience the joy of becoming a fertile seed of social and economic progress for their respective countries and communities".

President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella wrote this in a message to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV before his long apostolic journey to Africa. The president did not mention Trump's post of 13 April.

On my own behalf and on behalf of the Government of Italy, I would like to offer Pope Leo XIV my most sincere thanks and best wishes for the success of his apostolic journey which will take him to Africa for the first time and which will lead him to visit four nations: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. May the Ministry of the Holy Father favour the resolution of conflicts and the return of peace, internally and between nations, in the wake of the path traced by his Predecessors, and give support and comfort to the Christian communities that he will have the opportunity to meet during the trip". Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote.

The foreign minister also did not comment on Trump's post while talking to journalists upon his arrival in Beirut. This was his statement: 'I wished the Holy Father a fruitful mission in Africa, which is a continent fundamental for the stability of the Mediterranean, of the stability of the Gulf area as well. I am thinking of the important words he spoke yesterday on Sudan, which encourage us to move forward. Italia has already organised two humanitarian missions in Sudan, one at Easter and one at Christmas, so the Holy Father's words encourage us and are also a source of inspiration for my government action'. The Holy Father, concluded Tajani, is 'therefore a strong, courageous man, who defends the fundamental values of the Christian faith and defends, because it is his duty to do so, peace in the world'.

Salvini on Trump: attacking the Pope is not helpful or smart

"If there is one person who is speaking out on the issue of peace and conflict resolution, it is Pope Leo. Attacking the Pope, a man who is a symbol of peace and spiritual guide for billions of Catholics, does not seem to me a useful and intelligent thing to do". Vice-Premier Matteo Salvini told Telelombardia about the attacks on the pontiff by US President Donald Trump.

"With his attacks and threats against the Pope, President Trump is moving beyond tolerability the method of arrogance that has characterised him so far. Insulting the Pope for his very strong call for peace, dialogue and human dignity is a very serious act, which fully reveals the culture of oppression of those who do not tolerate free voices. I therefore express, also on behalf of the Democratic Party community, full solidarity with Pope Leo XIV'. Thus the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein.