POPE FICTION

Melania Rewrites History in Shocking Snub of Pope

The first lady is now taking credit for inspiring Pope Leo to get involved in the Ukraine ceasefire deal after she was called out for excluding him.

Melania Trump has launched a campaign to brazenly claim sole credit for brokering a ceasefire in Ukraine, casting Pope Leo as little more than an extra.

The White House announced Friday that the 56-year-old first lady had brokered a ceasefire limited to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, set to begin Oct. 29 to allow humanitarian aid to enter and pave the way for evacuations.

But Melania was immediately accused of trying to steal credit from Pope Leo, who had called Russian President Vladimir Putin a week before the first lady’s announcement to ask him to arrange a ceasefire in Oleshky. The pontiff made his call from the hospital, where he was recovering after surgery for lung cancer.

On Saturday, Melania’s top adviser Marc Beckman tried to lock down the first lady’s claim to the peacemaker title while offering new spin on the 71-year-old pope’s role.

“Yesterday she brokered—single-handedly brokered—a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine within the area of Oleshky,” Beckman claimed during an appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend.

Beckman then suggested it was precisely Melania’s intervention that had inspired Pope Leo to get involved, despite the pontiff’s longstanding appeals for peace amid Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“So the first lady was brought in as intermediary through written state documents by both President Putin and President Zelensky, Ukraine and Russia, going back, like I said, over a month ago. And she started the work and she’s been negotiating all the way through,” he said. “But as a result of her participation, I guess she caught the attention of the Pope, which is great.”

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The advertising executive wasn’t done staking Melania’s claim to the ceasefire, adding, “And a few days ago, he stepped in and supported her efforts as well, which is, you know, very nice. But ultimately, it was the first lady that initiated the process, managed the entire negotiation.”

He declared that the ceasefire in Oleshky, where scarce food and medical supplies have left civilians at risk of dying from hunger and disease, is “the first sign towards real, everlasting peace within this war-torn region.”

Beckman also appeared on Kremlin-controlled television to push Melania center stage in the ceasefire deal, telling the Vesti TV channel that the first lady not only initiated the agreement but also “oversaw the entire process” and even has a “detailed plan” for the evacuation operation, “down to each hour and day.”

Beckman’s comments contradict both the Vatican and the Kremlin’s account of the lead-up to the ceasefire.

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Following Pope Leo’s call with Putin, the Kremlin said in an Oct. 16 statement that Putin had agreed to “cooperate” with efforts to “create the conditions necessary” to make sure Oleshky residents are safe and provided with “vital supplies.”

Meanwhile, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, said the ceasefire was the pope’s initiative.

“It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the case of this besieged city, where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes through which they can leave.”

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