On his recent trip abroad, Leo XIV made some of his most forthright comments since becoming pope last year, but grew uncomfortable at how that criticism was interpreted.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had led one of Italy’s most stable postwar governments. Now she’s under pressure after failing to convince Italians to back a judicial overhaul.

Voting starts Sunday on a referendum to overhaul Italy’s judiciary. Many people don’t understand the complex proposal — and it could hurt Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

War in the Middle East has left Italy’s prime minister in a domestic bind, presenting her with one of the biggest challenges of a previously stable tenure.