This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
Published on July 4, 2019, Matteo Salvini, Italy's 46-year-old deputy prime minister, has been making headlines with his newfound devotion to Catholicism. The leader of the League, a former secessionist movement turned nationalist force, has been stoking anti-immigration fears and rallying his supporters with the cry of 'Italians first.'
However, Salvini's Catholic credentials are questionable, to say the least. He is divorced and has two children by two different women, and is currently in a relationship with a third. Yet, he has been using his Catholic faith to connect with voters and promote his party's agenda.
Speaking on the popular TV show 'Non è l'Arena,' Salvini declared, 'I am the last of the good Christians.' He also defended the existence of Catholic schools and invoked the names of the patron saints of Europe, saying, 'We entrust our destiny, our future and the peace and prosperity of our peoples to them.'
Salvini's newfound devotion to Catholicism is a recent development, and one that has not gone unnoticed by the Vatican. In fact, the Pope has been critical of Salvini's use of Catholicism to further his political agenda.
