Financial times

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: A special envoy to US President Donald Trump has reportedly asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup, starting from June 11, after the American president assailed Pope Leo XIV in a social media post.

Trump has launched an unusual and scathing attack on Pope Leo over his opposition to US immigration policy and the war in Iran. He accused the first American Pope of being "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy" in a Truth Social post, drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV “unacceptable”.