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“ If you ’ re Italian , whether you ’ re practising or not , religion or Catholicism is in your DNA ,” White says . “ If you ’ re living [ in Italy ], just reflexively , the Vatican is the huge gorilla in the room – a monument of an institution here in the city , the largest draw of tourists in the country , certainly in Rome . The dome of St Peter ’ s [ Basilica ] towers over the city , both physically and metaphorically – you ’ re always in the shadow of the Vatican .”
“ The Vatican is also the world ’ s smallest state that wields no military power , no economic power , but it has tremendous soft power . We see that [ because ] every major political figure in the world comes to the Vatican at some point to meet the pope , so it is a crossroads of all civilization .”
The influence of
Instagram @ vaticanpatrons
the Vatican has extended into Italian politics and , like many of her predecessors , Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has attempted to get Pope Francis on side . But their differing views on migration have become a particular source of contention . The Brothers of Italy leader remains steadfast in her plans to ship refugees to Albanian detention centres , a plan which was deemed unlawful by a Rome court in November and has had limited success since .
Meanwhile , in February , the pontiff wrote a
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letter to US church bishops criticising Donald Trump ’ s plans for mass deportations of immigrants , urging Catholics ‘ not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters ’ – a criticism which would apply to Meloni ’ s similar rhetoric .
“ Most people expected a real clash between Pope Francis and Giorgia Meloni ,” White says , “ given you ’ ve got a pope who is
However , by
forging a
relationship through issues they agree on , White argues Meloni and Francis can avoid a stand-off on immigration . “ The pope ’ s stance in any administration is to see where he can find common ground . What [ Meloni ] has done is effectively focus on marriage and family issues . You ’ ve seen both Meloni and the pope take a pro-natalist line : they ’ re concerned about low fertility rates in Italy and Pope Francis is constantly pleading to Catholics to have more children .”
This line of thinking means it is unsurprising
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the pontiff has taken a hardline view on abortion . In 2021 , Francis sparked widespread condemnation for likening abortion to ‘ murder ’ and , in September , he was criticised for describing abortion clinicians as ‘ hitmen ’. The 88-year-old doubled down on his approach in this year ’ s New Year ’ s Day speech .
The influence of the Catholic Church ’ s approach to abortion has long caused concerns for women ’ s rights . Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 but hundreds of medical professionals refuse to carry out the practice on religious grounds , restricting Italian women ’ s access to safe abortion . Meloni has demonstrated her alliance with the Catholic Church on the issue and , in April , her government passed measures allowing anti-abortion demonstrators to protest in abortion clinics . She was later called out at the G7 summit in June for allegedly attempting to remove a clause from the final declaration guaranteeing women ’ s safe access to abortion .
The Vatican is also the world ’ s smallest state that wields no military power , no economic power , but it has tremendous soft power . |
The Catholic Church and Meloni ’ s government appear increasingly intertwined , which has led to suggestions the Vatican has a dangerous impact on Italian politics . In January 2024 , Francis labelled surrogacy as ‘ deplorable ’ and called for a global ban . Then , in October , Meloni extended the ban on surrogacy in Italy to Italians going abroad to have a baby through a surrogate mother . Any Italian deemed to have broken the law will now be punished with a one million euro fine and up to two years in prison .
The Vatican has been criticised for its conservative views and it has been suggested the pope should do better to protect Italian women . But White insists Francis has no direct power over Italian legislation . “ The Vatican tends not to get involved in policy implementation . They tend to talk a lot about principles rather than policy .”
But given the impact of the Catholic Church on Italy ’ s political sphere , could Francis exert pressure on Meloni ’ s government by adopting a more progressive approach ? “ It would certainly set up a clash , in the same way the pope feels about migration ,” White suggests . “ If the pope were to take a different issue on surrogacy – which he won ’ t , he ’ s been quite passionate – then sure [ it could put pressure on Meloni ].”
Change in Italian legislation over surrogacy
Source : Coral Arteaga has also faced backlash from LGBTQ + communities , who argue the law change disproportionally affects LGBTQ + Italians from having children . In doing so , the law is harming a community that Pope Francis has attempted to welcome into the Catholic Church , which White suggests is one of his defining legacies .
“ Without a doubt , Pope Francis has changed the tone with which LGBTQ + issues are talked about in the Catholic
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