Pope Francis accuses Rome's mayor of being a 'pretend' Catholic

One person not likely to be riding shotgun in Pope Francis' Fiat is Ignazio Marino, the mayor of Rome described by the pontiff as someone who "pretends to be Catholic."

Tensions are high between the mayor and the pope, as the Vatican doesn't think Rome is ready for an influx of 20 million pilgrims for the Holy Year of Mercy, which starts Dec. 8. Some Pope Francis watchers believe he's also critical of the left-leaning mayor because Marino supports gay marriage and euthanasia, Agence France-Presse reports. "He pretends to be Catholic, it came on him all of a sudden," Francis said after returning from his trip to the United States. "It doesn't happen like that."

Marino trailed the pope during the tail end of his U.S. visit, and Francis made sure to tell reporters on the plane back to the Vatican that he did not have anything to do with it. "I didn't invite the mayor," he said. "Is that clear? I asked the organizers and they didn't invite him either." Marino — who is facing backlash in Rome for going on vacations to the U.S. and Caribbean — said he was invited by Philadelphia officials, and told an Italian newspaper: "If the most popular man in the world takes down one of the least popular in Italy, that says all the rules of the game have been thrown up in the air, including possibly those of mercy."

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