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- Outrage in Italy: Church Mural of Angel Resembles Giorgia Meloni
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Outrage in Italy: A new church mural depicting an angel bears a striking resemblance to PM Giorgia Meloni, sparking widespread debate and controversy.
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February 2, 2026
9:32 pm
TL:DR – “Outrage in Italy: Church Mural of Angel Resembles Giorgia Meloni”
- A fresco in Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome, resembles Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, sparking controversy.
- The artwork, restored after water damage, originally depicted cherubs but now features an angel resembling Meloni.
- Critics, including opposition politicians, demand an inquiry, claiming the restoration may serve political propaganda.
- Meloni dismissed the backlash, jokingly stating, “I’m definitely not like an angel.”
- Authorities plan to investigate potential changes made during restoration, ensuring cultural integrity.
Church painting of angel resembling Georgia Meloni sparks outrage in Italy | News World
The striking resemblance has sparked backlash from opposition politicians (Picture: Shutterstock)
### Political Leaders as Angels: A Rare Sight
It is not often political leaders are portrayed as angels – usually quite the opposite. That’s maybe why an almighty row has broken out in Italy over a church fresco that looks suspiciously like Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
### A Controversial Fresco in Rome
A painting in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome, was spotted with the striking resemblance after undergoing repairs. The artwork portrays Umberto II, who reigned as Italy’s final king for just 34 days, and is meant to feature two cherub-like angels watching over him.
The Meloni-like angel is seen holding a map of Italy (Picture: Stefano Carofei/Sintesi/SIPA/Shutterstock)
### Restoration Denial
WTX News reported that the newspaper La Repubblica, who first reported on the angel, said: ‘Before the restoration, there was a generic cherub. Today, it is the face of the most powerful woman in the country.’ The volunteer restorer who freshened up the fresco denied depicting Meloni and said he was just restoring ‘what was there 25 years ago’. Bruno Valentinetti said: ‘They asked me to fix it and I did. I worked on it for two years and finished the work a year ago.’ He stressed ‘it’s not Meloni’ and described how he ‘traced’ the outline of ‘original design’ and ‘put the colour back in’.
### Church’s Perspective on the Restoration
The church’s rector, Monsignor Daniele Micheletti, said he had asked for the chapel to be restored exactly as it was. He expressed his thoughts on the resemblance: ‘There is indeed a certain resemblance, but we should ask the restorer why he did it that way; I don’t know.’ Father Micheletti mentioned that the restoration was necessary due to water damage and that it dated back to 2000, so it was not under heritage protection.
### Political Backlash and Investigation
However, Italian authorities have launched an investigation into what happened, and members of the opposition have even called for an inquiry. One opposition lawmaker, Irene Manzi, called the touch-up ‘unacceptable’. The Five Star Movement party stated: ‘We cannot allow art and culture to risk becoming a tool for propaganda or anything else, regardless of whether the face depicted is that of the prime minister.’
### Meloni’s Reaction to the Controversy
Meloni herself has laughed off the controversy, posting a picture of the fresco on Instagram and commenting: ‘No, I’m definitely not like an angel.’
Meloni laughed off the controversy (Picture: Vincenzo Nuzzolese/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
### Cultural Heritage Oversight
Italy’s authorities for protecting cultural heritage, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio, stated they will be inspecting the restoration. They added: ‘We will compare it with archive materials to determine not so much who the restoration resembles, but whether any changes have been made, because the restorer would have had to follow the original lines.’
February 2, 2026
9:32 pm
February 2, 2026
9:00 pm
TL:DR – Jamie Carragher selects Chelsea player as ‘one of the Premier League‘s finest’
- Enzo Fernandez shines in Chelsea’s dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham, scoring his 11th goal of the season.
- Jamie Carragher praises Fernandez as one of the best in the Premier League, highlighting his scoring ability and versatility.
- Manager Liam Rosenior emphasises Fernandez’s importance and skill set, asserting he can play multiple roles effectively.
- Despite Chelsea’s big spending scrutiny, Fernandez’s contributions reaffirm their investment in midfield has paid off.
Jamie Carragher names Chelsea star who is ‘one of the best in the Premier League’ | Football
Enzo Fernandez celebrates a wild win over West Ham at the weekend (Picture: Getty Images)
Chelsea’s big-spending has not always paid off, but in Enzo Fernandez they have one of the best players in the Premier League, believes Jamie Carragher.
The Blues continued their good start to life under new manager Liam Rosenior with a dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham on Saturday.
The Blues conceded the first two goals of the game to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge, but bounced back impressively.
Joao Pedro and Marc Cucrella put the home side level before Fernandez burst into the penalty box in stoppage time to fire home the winner.
The 25-year-old has been in good goal-scoring form this season, with his strike against the Hammers his 11th of the campaign in all competitions.
While the Argentinian was thought to be more of a deep-lying midfielder when signed from Benfica for £106.8m in January 2023, Carragher feels he is flourishing into one of the best in the Premier League by moving further forward.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the Liverpool legend said: ‘Enzo Fernandez gets the winning goal. A lot is spoken about the top midfield players in the Premier League and we speak about his midfield partner [Moises] Caicedo and [Declan] Rice: who’s the best out of the two of them?
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Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have formed an impressive partnership (Picture: Getty Images)
‘There’s no doubt they’re two of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but he is right up there with the best players in the Premier League.
‘He is one of the best box-crashers we see in the Premier League. Permanently getting on the end of things. There’s talk of, is he a holding midfield player? Which is what we were told when he originally came in.
‘I don’t see that, He is a number 8 or a number 10, getting into the box and getting goals. He is one of the top midfield players in the Premier League.
‘A lot of criticism has come at Chelsea for the money that they’ve spent, but when they’ve spent big in the centre of the park, it’s paid off.’
Fernandez has already scored more goals this season than in any other of his career (Picture: Getty Images)
Fernandez was linked with a move to Real Madrid during the January transfer window, but Rosenior has made it very clear that he wants him to remain an integral part of his side in west London.
‘He’s a Chelsea player. He’s very important to me,’ said the manager. ‘I think we’re going to have a really good, hopefully winning relationship in the short term and the long term.”
‘He’s got an extreme skill set, technically he’s outstanding, he covers a lot of ground. He’s a very good athlete. He can finish, he can score, he arrives really well in the box when he plays higher up like a forward-running 8 or a No. 10.
‘What I need to do is find out what the chemistry is around the position. It’s not just him, it’s how other players fit around him.
‘He can play deeper as a 6, which he did really well against Arsenal. He came on against Charlton [at 10] and did really well.
‘I don’t like pigeon-holing players. In my career I’ve used players in different roles.’
After his match-winning strike on Saturday, Rosenior told the BBC: ‘I thought the right person scored the goal, I thought Enzo Fernandez’s performance was absolutely world class. In terms of his energy, in terms of his quality, his bravery to take the ball, the amount of second balls he picked up in midfield. He’s a special player.’
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