A political and religious controversy has erupted in Rome after a fresco depicting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was whitewashed. The fresco, located in the Church of St. Lawrence in Lucina near the government seat, originally showed two angelic faces. Following recent restoration, one of the faces bore a striking resemblance to Meloni, the 49-year-old right-wing politician and Italy's first female prime minister. The image was captured by the center-left newspaper La Repubblica, sparking outrage among opposition figures and disapproval from Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the Vicar of Rome. At his order, the fresco was painted over.
