Meloni argued that the pontiff is right to call for peace and condemn all forms of war.
"The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war," Meloni said in a statement published Monday by her office.
Her remarks came after Trump launched a sharp attack on the American-born pope on Sunday, writing on Truth Social that Leo was "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."
Trump accused the pope of failing to speak out about restrictions on religious services during the COVID pandemic, while criticising US immigration enforcement.
The US president went further, saying he preferred the pope's brother Louis Prevost, whom he described as "all MAGA", adding that Leo "doesn't get it".
He also accused the pope of being too lenient on Iran's nuclear ambitions and too critical of American action against Venezuela.
"I don't want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States," Trump wrote, arguing he was simply doing what he was elected to do.
The US president also claimed Leo owed his election partly to Trump's own presence in the White House, suggesting cardinals chose an American pope as "the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump."
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said Leo was not doing "a good job" and appeared to "like crime" – a reference to the pope's defence of immigrants – calling him "very liberal".
In a phone interview with CBS News on Monday, Trump confirmed he had watched a 60 Minutes report highlighting Leo's disapproval of mass deportations and the Iran war before writing the post.
"He's wrong on the issues," Trump said.
"I don't think he should be getting into politics."
Pope Leo responded while aboard a papal flight to Algiers, at the start of a 10-day tour of four African countries.
He told Reuters he would continue to speak out against war and promote dialogue, and warned that the Christian message of peace was being "abused".
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states," Leo said.
The CBS interview also touched on a separate controversy: an AI-generated image Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday depicting the pope in a Jesus-like pose.
The US president said he believed it showed him as a doctor, not a religious figure, and that he took it down only because "people were confused".
(ał)
Source: PAP, Reuters, CBS News