A Rome church has painted over an angel that had been restored to resemble Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after the image triggered political and clerical criticism.
The altered face appeared in a chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina, a short walk from Italian government buildings.
One of two angels had been restored to look almost identical to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first woman premier.
The image was spotted by the newspaper la Repubblica at the weekend and drew protests from opposition politicians. Cardinal Baldo Reina, Vicar General for the Rome diocese, also expressed irritation over the discovery.
When the church reopened on Wednesday, the Meloni-like face had been painted over.
Priest Daniele Micheletti said the change was made because visitors began focusing on the figure rather than attending Mass or prayer.
He told Italian agency ANSA that he had warned the image would be removed if it caused division.
Bruno Valentinetti, the amateur artist who originally created the wall painting in 2000 and was recently asked to restore it due to water damage, said he had been told by the Vatican to erase the Meloni likeness.
The Holy See declined to comment, while the diocese said it would issue a statement later.
Cardinal Reina said on Saturday that he felt "bitterness" at the episode and ordered an investigation, stressing that sacred images must not be misused.
Italy's Culture Ministry also announced an inquiry. Meloni reacted lightly, posting a photograph of the disputed angel on Instagram with the caption "No, I definitely don't look like an angel" and a laughing emoji.
The painting is not protected as cultural heritage, according to priest Micheletti, who said Valentinetti was fully responsible for the original work and its restoration.
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democra...
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce...
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on ...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
In a workshop in Margilan, in eastern Uzbekistan's Fergana Region, silk threads are still being transformed into brightly coloured atlas and adras fabrics using techniques passed down through generations.
An online petition is calling for singer Pink to be removed from her UNICEF role following criticism of Macklemore over his pro-Palestinian remarks during Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence over Macklemore’s removal from his U.S. tour following the rapper’s pro-Palestinian remarks, saying the decision was made by promoters and venues rather than him.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for the 15th of September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the world of culture.
The Carolina Herrera fashion house celebrated its 45th anniversary with a vibrant runway show at New York's Fashion Week on Monday, presenting its spring 2027 collection against a backdrop of sunshine-coloured tulips.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment