According to the Italian right-wing press, during these days marked by preparations for the conclave set to begin on May 7, complex French political maneuvering is interfering with the process of selecting the next pope. Since the death of Francis on April 21, publications close to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government have speculated on French President Emmanuel Macron's intentions, accusing him of implementing a strategy to push his candidates onto the Chair of Saint Peter.

"Macron even wants to choose the pope," proclaimed a headline published by La Verita on Tuesday, April 29, while another newspaper of the same political leaning, Libero, wrote, "Macron even crashes the conclave." Meanwhile, Il Tempo, a conservative Roman daily, criticized the French leader's "interventionism worthy of a modern Sun King." Behind these clicky headlines is a combination of the Italian right's deep distrust of France's intentions, of Macron's close relations with the Catholic movement Sant'Egidio, which was close to the late pope, and of the involvement of this influential community in the tensions within the Italian Church, heightened by the current transitional period at the Vatican.

You have 72.42% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.