Pope takes slap for not using mask

Pope Francis and President Trump have something in common after all.

The mask-averse pontiff refused to cover his face again during an indoor service Wednesday, violating Vatican regulations to curb the spread of coronavirus and fueling further criticism from his own supporters.

Francis, 83, ditched a face mask during his general audience in the Vatican auditorium, where he also shook hands with a handful of maskless bishops. Despite wearing masks while seated, only one of the clerics kept it on to speak to the pope.

One of the many critics to lash out at the pope was Catholic theologian Hendro Munsterman.

“I’m angry. We love you as leader and servant of the Catholic Church,” the Dutch journalist tweeted.

“But please PUT ON A MASK! And let those clerics who talk to you and shake your hands do the same,” he said. “How do we tell our kids to protect themselves and others if you cannot even give an example?”

The public violation of COVID-19 rules came just a day after Francis donned a face mask for the first time during a liturgical service. The only other time he was seen with his face covered was in a brief appearance in the Vatican courtyard on Sept. 9.

The Vatican requires the public to wear a face mask indoors and outdoors when social distancing can’t be “always guaranteed.”

Vatican City and Italy have been on high alert in recent weeks as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb across parts of Europe. Vatican City has recorded only 27 infections since the pandemic began, but nearly half of them were confirmed in the past week, including 11 Swiss Guards and a resident of the hotel where Francis lives.

Another disappointed supporter compared Francis with Trump, another global leader who rarely wears a mask and often mocks those who do.

“Do you really want to be in company with a man who builds walls rather than bridges, who demonizes refugees and immigrants, who turns his back to the marginalized? I don’t think so, but that is where you are as long as, like Trump, you do not wear a mask,” the Rev. Thomas Reese wrote in a column published Tuesday.

The blistering Trump comparison was one of six reasons Reese listed for why he believes the pope should change his behavior.