ROME (LifeSiteNews) — The Vicariate of Rome ordered the removal of a painted angel’s face resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a Catholic church after public outcry, meanwhile a controversial 2017 mural in Terni – featuring a nude Archbishop Paglia alongside other explicit elements – and many works of disgraced former Jesuit Marko Rupnik remain untouched.
On February 4, the image resembling Meloni at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome was painted over (despite having previously been restored) after the Vicariate of Rome, which operates within the Diocese of Rome, instructed the parish priest to ensure the restoration of the chapel’s original features.
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Ecclesiastical authorities requested the “restoration of the original features of the face, in the exclusive interest of safeguarding the place of worship and its spiritual function,” having taken note that “the work presented physiognomic traits not consistent with the original iconography and the sacred context.”
The decision followed public controversy over the angel’s resemblance to the Italian politician and occurred while the Special Superintendence of Rome was conducting archival research to compare the restored image with the original decoration in preparation for a possible reinstatement. The repainting occurred before completion of the archiving project, apparently surprising state authorities. The Ministry of Culture later emphasized that any further work required formal authorization.
The controversy had escalated in the days preceding the removal. Parish priest Father Daniele Micheletti had initially stated that he did not understand the uproar; however, his remarks were later publicly contradicted by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina in an official note.
The note, dated February 1, reads:
The Cardinal Vicar of His Holiness, Baldo Reina, distances himself from the statements made by Fr. Micheletti, and expresses his sorrow over what has happened. He will immediately initiate the necessary inquiries to verify any responsibilities of the parties involved. Renewing the commitment of the Diocese of Rome to safeguarding its artistic and spiritual heritage, it is firmly reiterated that images of sacred art and of the Christian tradition cannot be subject to improper uses or instrumentalization, as they are intended exclusively to support liturgical life and personal and communal prayer.
After that intervention, the parish priest remained silent. The vicariate’s prompt action was described as a demonstration of unusual zeal, particularly in comparison with its approach to other Italian cases involving sacred art.
For example, Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni contrasted the handling of the San Lorenzo in Lucina controversy with the continued public display of works by Marko Rupnik, dismissed from the Jesuit order after it judged accusations of sexual and psychological abuse brought against him by several former nuns to be highly credible.
The events at the Rome church may also be compared to an ongoing controversy in the Italian city of Terni. In 2017, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia commissioned a mural depicting the Last Judgment for the cathedral of Terni, painted by the Argentine artist Ricardo Cinalli. In an interview, Cinalli stated that “every detail of the painting had been examined, discussed, and approved by the then-parish priest and by Archbishop Paglia” and “nothing was left to chance, everything was analyzed, everything was discussed, so they never left me alone.”
Cinalli portrayed Paglia nude within the composition, embracing another naked man.
He also stated that the work included figures such as “transsexuals, drug dealers, prostitutes,” and others who, “from a traditional point of view, have not necessarily earned heaven.” According to the artist, “there was also an erotic intention,” particularly among figures depicted within nets, and he described embraces and physical contact between same-sex figures. He further declared that the visibility of Christ’s genitals beneath veils had been permitted, recounting that the bishop justified it by stating that Christ “is a person, a human being.”
The 2017 Terni mural did not undergo the same immediate cancellation by ecclesiastical authorities, despite the media coverage and the negative reaction from among a considerable part of the faithful.