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‘A pope who uses his brain’: Vatican locals and visitors take sides in Leo v Trump spat

On the wall of the back room of an opticians in Borgo Pio, a neighbourhood in Rome that borders the Vatican, hangs the photos of five popes dating back to the late 1970s, charting both the recent history of Catholic church leaders and the shop itself. As its owner, Walter Colantini, who fitted glasses for one of the pontiffs, gestures towards them, he recalled the diplomatic strain between the Vatican and White House over the 1991 Gulf war. But, he said, nothing compares to the rupture provoked by Donald Trump in response to Pope Leo’s criticisms of the US-Israeli strikes in Iran. In an unprecedented tirade on social media, Trump said Leo, the first ever US pontiff, was “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy” and was only elected pope because he was in the White House. Trump then shared an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Christ-like before deleting it. “Trump is off-the-wall, he has no limits,” said Colantini. It is a sentiment shared by fellow shopkeepers in Borgo Pio, who have a long history of providing services to the Vatican, as they struggle to absorb the deterioration in its relations with Washington. Trump’s outburst was followed by the US vice-president, JD Vance, a Catholic, telling Fox News the Vatican should “stick to morality” and church affairs and let the US president “stick to dictating US public policy”. Raniero Mancinelli, a tailor who produces ecclesiastical robes and jewellery, said: “The issue with Trump is that we don’t know what he is thinking or doing, from one day to the next. He is saying and doing very strange things. When he was elected, he spoke about peace and ending wars, instead the world is in this very worrying situation.” People visiting St Peter’s Square on Tuesday were also troubled by the clash and expressed solidarity with Leo. “Trump has crossed every moral border but I am no longer surprised,” said Andries DeWinter, a choir director from Belgium. “He insisted on making America great again, but instead he’s sinking it. Pope Leo, on the other hand, speaks with truth, value and meaning – the total opposite to Trump.” Rhoda, a visitor from the UK, said: “Trump is just out for himself. I think Leo is great and I just hope he keeps standing up to him.” However, two US Catholics who the Guardian spoke to said that while they respected the pope and the church, they supported Trump. “We want peace but we believe he’s making the world safe,” said Susan. “He is a little arrogant, but that’s just the way he is.” Leo, considered more mild mannered and tactful compared with his often hasty and divisive predecessor, Francis, was elected pope in May last year and during that time has moved from careful stewardship, such as urging ceasefires and diplomacy to end wars, to striking a bolder moral tone. He has increasingly condemned the US-Israeli war in Iran and wider conflict in the Middle East, especially after Trump’s threat last week to wipe out “a whole civilisation” in Iran. The church’s cardinals have also made harsh criticisms. In an interview with CBS on Monday night, Trump confirmed he lashed out at Leo after watching an interview with three influential US cardinals on the networks’s 60 Minutes who called out his policies and backed up his remarks. “He’s wrong on the issues,” Trump said. “I don’t think he should be getting into politics. I think he probably learned that from this.” But Leo is not expected to back down. In response to Trump’s verbal attack, he said he did not fear the US administration and would continue to speak out against war. The clash generated widespread solidarity towards the pontiff from European politicians from across the spectrum. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, one of Trump’s main allies in Europe, said his remarks towards Leo were “unacceptable”, prompting a stinging rebuke from the US president. In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, Trump said Meloni is the one who’s “unacceptable” due to her unwillingness to join the Iran war. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said. It has taken some Italian Catholics time to get used to Leo, especially after the era of Francis, who was admired for his humble and charismatic demeanour. “But Leo has been a good pope so far, very calm,” said Mancinelli. Colantani said Leo differed in style from his predecessor, but is possibly more effective. “Leo was chosen for the role because he’s the right person to lead the church during this period,” he added. “He needs to act in order to find peace in a world where there is war. I really like him – from what he says in his declarations and homilies, he’s a pope who uses his brain.”

Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran talks could resume ‘over next two days’; Lebanon and Israel enter negotiations

A preliminary round of talks between Lebanon and Israel have concluded, according to a Lebanese state news agency. The two countries began talks on Tuesday in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two nations have not directly negotiated since 1983.

Trump accuses ally Meloni of lacking courage for not joining attacks on Iran

Donald Trump lashed out at one of his closest allies on Tuesday, saying Italy’s Giorgia Meloni lacked courage in light of her failure to join the US in attacking Iran. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” the US president said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The attack came as Meloni said that her far-right government would suspend the automatic renewal of its defence cooperation agreement with Israel “in light of the current situation”. “Giorgia Meloni doesn’t want to help us in the war. I’m shocked,” Trump said. “Do people like the fact that your president isn’t doing anything to get the oil [in Iran]? Does she like it? I can’t imagine.” Tensions between Italy and the US have intensified in recent days after criticism from Trump directed at Pope Leo, marking a dramatic shift in relations between the US president and Meloni, whose political alliance and personal rapport had long been openly embraced – with the Italian leader having said earlier this year that she hoped he would one day receive the Nobel peace prize. Trump said he did not think the Chicago-born pontiff was “doing a very good job”, while also suggesting he should “stop catering to the radical left”. Meloni criticised remarks by Trump targeting the pope, calling them “unacceptable”. She added that she would not feel comfortable in a society where religious leaders were expected to follow the direction of political leaders. “She is the one who is unacceptable,” Trump replied, “because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.” Despite the diplomatic strain, Meloni described Washington as a “priority ally”. But, she added, alliances require candour: “When you are friends, particularly strategic allies, you must also have the courage to say when you disagree.” Italy’s government has entered a turbulent phase in recent days after its defeat in a justice referendum backed by Rome. According to several analysts, the outcome was less a rejection of the proposal itself than a broader vote of no confidence in Meloni’s leadership. The Italian prime minister has faced mounting criticism, including from segments of her own electorate, over her alignment with Trump and her reluctance to openly condemn Israel’s actions. The backlash comes at a time of growing unease among the Italian public with the wider implications of the conflict, particularly fears of economic fallout. Concerns have intensified in recent weeks over disruptions to global energy supplies, with the effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz contributing to a sharp rise in diesel prices. “It’s a repositioning,” Lorenzo Castellani, a political historian at Rome’s Luiss University, told Reuters. “She’s afraid that a sizeable portion of the electorate, even among the centre-right, will become highly critical of Trump and Netanyahu and of the effects of this war on Iran on the economy.” Trump appears to be losing the backing of European allies as the Iran war escalates, exposing fractures within Nato. He previously called the alliance a “paper tiger” after members ignored calls for military support in the strait of Hormuz. The US president also threatened consequences for countries such as Spain, including troop withdrawals, and accused allies including the UK of not “stepping up”, saying they were “abandoning” the US. He added that those unwilling to support Washington should “go get your own oil”. Alongside rising tensions with Washington, relations between Italy and Israel also risk deteriorating after Rome’s decision to suspend the memorandum on defence cooperation. In 2003, Italy and Israel began expanding defence ties through arms deals, technology sharing and joint industrial projects. The memorandum, which has governed defence cooperation between the two countries, was formally signed in April 2016 and provided a framework for military exchanges, technological collaboration and had previously been renewed automatically every five years. Meloni’s decision marks the first time her government has intervened directly to halt the agreement, despite months of mounting criticism over Israel’s conduct and alleged violations of international law. Until now, the Italian prime minister had limited her response to condemning specific incidents, including Israeli strikes affecting churches and Italian troops serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, while continuing to defend the broader framework of bilateral cooperation. Italy’s ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, was summoned by Israel’s foreign ministry after Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, during a visit to Beirut, condemned Israeli air raids that have caused thousands of casualties in Lebanon since early March. Just days earlier, Tajani had himself summoned the Israeli ambassador after an incident in southern Lebanon in which Israeli forces fired warning shots near Italian UN peacekeepers, with one round landing metres from a soldier.

Britain’s complicity with Israel in Lebanon and the West Bank | Letters

You report that Donald Trump asked Benjamin Netanyahu to be more “low-key” in Lebanon (Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes, 9 April). As someone who is Palestinian Lebanese, I know exactly what that means. The West Bank is low-key. The world isn’t watching, so the killing and dispossession continues – door to door, quietly enough that most people won’t realise until Israel has taken the whole of the West Bank. Lebanon is different. Three hundred people killed in 10 minutes is hard to ignore. So the message from Washington is simply: not like that. Keep it quiet. Take the land. Just don’t let people notice. Britain’s response is condemnation. But words are not enough. We remain complicit for as long as Britain continues to grant Israel preferential trade terms and supply components for the warplanes and weapons systems being used in these strikes. What has to happen before our government acts – rather than simply condemns? Alexandra Lucas London • I have never thought of the writer Alan Bennett as a prophet, but in the latest volume of his diaries, Enough Said, he seems to have a flair for it. On page 167, at the end of an entry for 7 January 2019, is the following: “When Trump destroys the world those who are left will look at one another and wonder why nobody stopped him.” John Deards Warminster, Wiltshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

My friend and I saw a big cat on Exmoor in 1982 | Letter

I believe you, Max Lury (A moment that changed me: I saw a big cat on Dartmoor – and no one believed me, 8 April). I was walking across Exmoor in 1982 as part of the outdoor education module in my teacher training. A college friend and I (we are both biologists) were walking across an area of rough grassland with shallow ditches running across and slightly down the slope, which had a mixture of overgrown heather and gorse along the top of the far side of the ditch. We were in good visibility about 70 to 100 yards away from this particular ditch, mid-morning, when we saw a large, tan-coloured, low-slung animal running away from us down this ditch. It had a blunt face and a long tail with a bushy bit at the end. The tail curved upwards, and in the act of running, the creature arched its back to allow its front legs to project further forward. We both saw this animal for about six to eight seconds before it disappeared. We then turned to each other and both said at the same time: “That’s a very large cat!” We were convinced that it was a either a puma or a mountain lion. So there was definitely at least one big cat out there in the 1980s. Steve Jones Shobrooke, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Israeli ambassador to Germany condemns Bezalel Smotrich’s tirade against chancellor

Israel’s envoy to Germany has criticised a far-right Israeli cabinet member who made historically charged accusations against the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, saying the attack “[eroded] the memory of the Holocaust”. In a rare rebuke of a top Israeli official by an active ambassador, Ron Prosor said he wished to “unequivocally condemn” Bezalel Smotrich’s tirade against Merz, in which he made reference to the Nazi regime and said: “You will not force us into ghettos again.” The row, which erupted after the chancellor raised objections to settlements in the occupied West Bank, marks the latest clash between Berlin, seen as Israel’s closest ally in Europe, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its actions toward Palestinians. Merz’s office released a statement late on Monday after telephone talks with Netanyahu, saying he had urged Israel to stop military attacks on southern Lebanon and expressed “deep concern about developments in the Palestinian territories”. A “de facto annexation” of the West Bank must not be allowed, he added. In response, Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, invoked the Nazis’ murder of 6 million Jews during the second world war. “On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day [on Tuesday], the German Chancellor should bow his head and apologize a thousand times on behalf of Germany, rather than daring to preach morality to us on how to conduct ourselves against the Nazis of our generation,” he said on X, apparently equating the Hamas-led attackers of 7 October 2023 with all Palestinians. Smotrich, a self-declared “fascist homophobe” who has called for government reprisal attacks on Palestinians, criticised “hypocritical leaders in Europe” and told Merz: “Mr Chancellor, the days when Germans dictated to Jews where they were permitted or forbidden to live are over and shall not return. You will not force us into ghettos again, certainly not in our own land.” On Tuesday, Prosor said Smotrich’s attack “erodes the memory of the Holocaust and presents it in a completely distorted way”. “It is possible and completely legitimate to argue with the Germans, especially on this day, which is very emotional,” Prosor told Kan public radio. “There is a political debate all the time, but Merz is a great friend of Israel,” he added. “Many things that Germany does are unacceptable to us, and things that we do are unacceptable to them. But Germany has proven, especially with all the criticism against Israel in Europe, that it is our number one friend.” Germany views Israel’s security as integral to its own Staatsräson, or bedrock policy based on a solemn bond between the nations after the Holocaust. However, Israeli officials in recent months have bridled at even cautious criticism from Berlin, while Germany has distanced itself from the US-Israeli military action against Iran. Merz drew fire last August from Netanyahu’s government and members of his own conservative CDU party when he announced Germany would stop exporting military equipment that could be used in Gaza, due to the unfolding humanitarian disaster there. Germany has long condemned Israel’s expanding settlement activity in the West Bank, and recently urged Israel to halt a sprawling construction project Smotrich has championed, which he said would help prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Last month, the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, berated Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, over his opposition to deepening Israeli control in the West Bank, accusing the envoy of an “obsession” with Jewish settlers. At the same time, he asserted, Seibert found it “very difficult to condemn attacks against Israelis without bringing up the Palestinians”. Seibert had previously spoken of a “day of outrage and sadness” after the death of an Israeli by Hezbollah fire and hundreds injured by Iranian missiles. “And in a parallel reality: the violent settler rampage in Palestinian villages following the tragic and to be investigated death of one of their own,” he posted on X, referring to reprisal attacks. Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel at the International Crisis Group, said on Tuesday that the Israeli government had repeatedly targeted Germany “for invoking the basic human rights of Palestinians”. “They do so even at the expense of alienating their strongest European ally,” he wrote on social media. Zonszein called on Berlin to recalibrate its approach to the Netanyahu administration in light of the open conflict. “It’s time for Germany to reassess its support for Israeli actions that not only contradict its policies but are now the basis for vitriol against state leaders,” he wrote.

Carney says it’s Canada’s ‘time to come together’ after Liberals secure majority

Mark Carney has said he will govern with “humility, determination and a clear understanding of what this moment demands” after his Liberals swept three byelections Monday evening, forging a parliamentary majority just more than a year after he took power. Carney has achieved only the third majority government in two decades – and has done so in a highly unusual fashion, cobbling together both ballot box wins and defections from rival parties. While the Liberals were heavily favoured in two of three byelections on Monday, they outperformed in all contests at the expense of a struggling Conservative party. Danielle Martin won easily in University-Rosedale and Doly Begum, who Carney’s team wooed from the provincial New Democratic party, captured nearly 70% of the vote in Scarborough Southwest. Tatiana Auguste, whose 2025 victory of a single vote made headlines, came out on top after a close battle in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne. Ahead of Monday’s special elections, the Liberals held 171 seats in the House of Commons. Five of those came from lawmakers who had defected from other parties. The Liberals now hold 174 of 343 seats. The Conservatives have 140, the Bloc Québécois 22, the NDP six, and the Greens one. “This is a time to come together so we can build a Canada strong for all,” Carney said in a statement shortly after midnight, calling for bipartisan “collaboration, partnership, and ambition” in the coming months. “We will build a Canada that is not just strong, but good; not just prosperous, but fair; not just for some, most of the time, but for all, all of the time,” he said. “That is the responsibility we have been given by Canadians. We will achieve it together.” Carney’s Liberals were handed a minority government mandate by voters last year. But the constant threat of Donald Trump’s protectionist trade policies – and the highly erratic and unpredictable nature of how those policies are implemented – has shored up support for Carney, who has pledged a steady economic hand. A string of floor crossings from parties to both the ideological left and right of the Liberals has produced a feat without modern precedent: building a majority government from a legislative minority. Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader who has lost four of his parliamentary members to the Liberals, condemned the outcome on Monday evening. “The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s byelections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them,” he wrote on social media. “Liberals expect Canadians to give up, get complacent and go away, so Carney can have total power without any accountability. That will not happen. Our country and its people are worth fighting for.” With an election now likely three years away, Poilievre must contend with reduced political power – and persistent rumours that more Tories are preparing to abandon the party. Electoral results underscored the challenge he faces: the Conservative vote share dropped by double-digits in all three ridings, including one of the party’s worst-ever performance outside a major city in Quebec. An aggregate of national polls show the Liberals far ahead of the Conservatives –dramatic reversal for the Tories who, less than two years ago, were on the cusp of a historic majority government. Liberals will now control committees in the House of Commons and dictate both the scope and pace of their legislative agenda. One of the main focuses of the government is minimizing the economic impacts of the US war with Iran, which has pushed up fuel costs across Canada. On Tuesday, Carney said his government would suspend the federal fuel excise tax ‌on gasoline and diesel later this month until early September, telling reporters the move was a “responsible measure” to cut fuel costs. Canada also is bracing for what experts suspect will be a bitterly fought set of trade negotiations with the United States in the coming months as the two sides look for a renewed free trade pact.

People in the US: how has the surge in gas prices affected what you do?

One consequence of the US-Israel war on Iran has been a surge in gas prices in the US: The average gas price is now more than $4 per gallon, up from about $3 a year ago. We would like to hear how this has affected you. Has it changed where you’re going and what you’re doing? Perhaps it has caused you to alter your vacation plans. Or maybe you’re cutting back on other expenses to manage the extra fuel costs. Tell us. If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.