Rubio meets pope in Vatican amid ongoing feud between Trump and Catholic leader
State Department says two discussed situation in Mideast, ‘underscored the strong relationship’ between US and Vatican, ‘shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity’
by Agencies · The Times of IsraelVATICAN CITY — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, in what was expected to have been a fraught meeting following US President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war.
Rubio spent two and a half hours at the Vatican before driving away in a convoy under tight security. He met initially with Leo before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said that Rubio and Leo discussed the situation in the Middle East “and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.”
“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” he said.
In a separate statement about the Parolin meeting, Pigott said that the two diplomats discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East. The discussion reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in advancing religious freedom,” the statement said.
Rubio’s meeting with Leo, the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, appeared to have run longer than planned. The pope arrived 40 minutes late for a subsequent appointment with Vatican staffers, and thanked them for being patient.
Vatican photos of the meeting showed Leo and Rubio shaking hands before sitting down together at the pope’s official desk in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
Leo, the first US pope, drew Trump’s ire after becoming a firm critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies.
The US president has kept up an unprecedented series of public attacks on the pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
On Monday, Trump claimed the pope believed it was okay for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and said Leo was “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the war.
Leo told journalists after the latest attack that he was spreading the Christian message of peace. The pope also firmly rejected the idea that he supported nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church teaches are immoral.
“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” said the pope. “The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear arms, on that there is no doubt.”
As Rubio arrived at the Vatican earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving a meeting with Leo. He told journalists he and the pope discussed how to strengthen international cooperation and generate hope in the world.
“It is still possible that the world does not have to descend into chaos, if good people, people of goodwill, find one another and act in unity,” Tusk said, speaking in Polish.
‘Frank’ conversation
Leo, who on Friday marks his first year leading the 1.4-billion-member Church, has grown more outspoken on the world stage in recent weeks.
During a four-nation African tour last month, he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” in comments he later said were not aimed directly at Trump.
Rubio is Catholic, as is US Vice President JD Vance. The two met Leo a year ago after attending the pope’s inaugural mass.
Rubio said at a White House briefing on Tuesday that he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world with Leo.
He arrived in Rome on Thursday morning without any press accompanying him on his plane, which is unusual for a US secretary of state.
The US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told journalists earlier on Tuesday that the conversation between the pope and cabinet official was likely to be “frank.”
Rubio is visiting Rome for two days. He is due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope from Trump, on Friday. Meloni’s defense minister has also said the war in Iran puts US leadership at risk.