The face of an angel who appeared to resemble Italy’s right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been removed from a fresco in a Rome church after complaints from Vatican officials. The image appeared in a chapel of the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina, where artist Bruno Valentinetti restored a fresco he originally painted in 2000. Valentinetti initially denied that the angel bore any resemblance to Meloni. He said the recent intervention was a necessary conservation effort after water damage, a claim echoed by the parish priest, Monsignor Daniele Michelett, in comments to the BBC. Related Articles The likeness was first reported earlier this month by La Repubblica, which noted that the angel, depicted holding a map of Italy, had previously featured a more generic cherubic face. Speaking to the newspaper on February 5, Valentinetti later acknowledged the resemblance, saying, “Okay, it was Meloni, but along the lines of the painting that was there before.” The angel’s face was erased last week after Italy’s culture ministry and the diocese of Rome opened an inquiry into …