Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has again defended Pope Leo after escalating attacks from President Donald Trump.
Right-wing Meloni, who is normally an ally of the US leader, rebuked Trump on Monday but again spoke out during a visit to Verona on Tuesday (April 14) after widespread outrage across Italy.
"Frankly, I would not feel at ease in a society where religious leaders do what political leaders tell them to do; let's say, not in this part of the world," she told reporters.
Trump, responding to Meloni’s Monday comments, told the Corriere della Sera he was “shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.”
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the American pontiff, most recently over the Iran war.
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