Melania Trump Criticized For Vatican Attire (Photos)

First Lady Melania Trump was criticized for wearing a veil during her visit to the Vatican but not wearing a headscarf in Saudi Arabia — despite the fact that former First Lady Michelle Obama did the very same thing.

Per Vatican protocol, Trump arrived to meet with the Pope wearing a black veil and a long-sleeved Dolce and Gabbana dress down to her calf. 

“Per Vatican protocol, women who have an audience with the Pope are required to wear long sleeves, formal black clothing, and a veil to cover the head,” Melania Trump’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also wore a black veil per Vatican protocol during a past visit, Independent Journal Review reported. 

However, Michelle declined to wear a headscarf during a trip to Saudi Arabia.

Many readers criticized the media for blowing the first lady’s choice of attire out of proportion.

“One is a cultural issue, one is a religious issue.  Although many women skip the headcovers in the U.S. women who attend Mass in Europe almost always cover their heads.  I am a Roman Catholic in the US; about 10 years ago I went back to covering my head, with a hat, a headband, or a mantilla–the way it was done, from the time of the earliest Catholics in America.  Then after Vatican II, some liberal ‘Catholics’ spread the words, no more headcoverings!  That was never authorized by Rome, though, and never encouraged by traditionalists. Liberalism is doing its best to destroy America, and also destroy the Church,” one Independent Journal Review reader commented.

“Oh for Pete’s sake — stop this c***. Who cares if she didn’t want to wear a hijab — it doesn’t matter if she wore a black ‘veil’, for God’s sake — North Korea is building bombs to destroy the world — suicide bombers are murdering children — stop criticizing and LET’S WORK TOGETHER!” one Conservative Daily reader commented on the site’s Facebook page. 

“The issue is non-Saudi women are not required to wear the hijab, PERIOD. In the Vatican all women must wear a veil and generally men all wear the skull cap. She is also a Christian and it fits with that faith. It is a non issue,” another added. 

“They followed standard protocol in both Saudi Arabia and the Vatican, as to what is expected for women visitors to wear. Those who have ‘issues’ with the First Lady’s attire are BOTH ignorant of those protocols AND ‘Clueless Haters’, nothing more. And, oh BTW, Michelle Obama followed those same protocols…….where was the outcry then?” another wrote. 

Sources: CNN, Independent Journal Review, Conservative Daily/Facebook / Photo credit: White House via Wikimedia Commons, Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images via Independent Journal Review, Vatican Pool/Getty Images via Independent Journal Review