Rubio meets with Pope Leo as Washington-Vatican tension simmers
by Jeff Mordock · The Washington TimesSecretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday amid strain between Washington and the Vatican.
The two discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to a State Department readout of the visit, which took place in Italy.
“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” the readout said.
Mr. Rubio was inside the Apostolic Palace, according to reporters traveling with him as part of the press pool, though it was unclear how long he met with the pope. The visit also included a meeting with other Vatican officials.
On Friday, Mr. Rubio will sit down with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.
Ahead of the trip, Mr. Rubio told reporters at the White House that he planned to discuss several topics with the pope, including the war in Iran, religious freedom across the globe, humanitarian aid to Cuba, and the Catholic Church’s outreach to Africa.
“The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them,” Mr. Rubio said, adding that he has “a lot to talk about.”
The visit follows President Trump’s criticism of the first U.S.-born pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history after Leo expressed his opposition to the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran.
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Mr. Trump on Tuesday said the pope’s stance is “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” and that the head of the Catholic Church said it was “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The pope told reporters that Mr. Trump misrepresented his remarks and called for peace and dialogue between the U.S. and Iran.
Leo said the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.” He pointed to the church’s teaching that says even possession of a nuclear weapon is “immoral.”
“I’ve spoken from the first moment of being elected, and we’re nearing the anniversary. I said, ’Peace be with you,’” the pontiff said.
“The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the gospel, let him do it with the truth,” Leo said. “And so I hope simply to be listened to about the value of the word of God.”
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Mr. Rubio said Mr. Trump’s words have been misinterpreted.
“What the president basically said is that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s comments about the pope drew a rebuke from Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also expected to meet with Mr. Rubio on Friday.
Mr. Tajani wrote on social media that Mr. Trump’s comments “are neither acceptable nor helpful to the cause of peace.”
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“I reaffirm my support for every action and word of Pope Leo; his words are a testament to dialogue, the value of human life, and freedom. This is a vision shared by our government, which is committed through diplomacy to ensuring stability and peace in all areas where conflicts exist,” Mr. Tajani wrote.
The rift between Mr. Trump and Leo, the first pope to be born in the U.S., widened in April after the pope’s criticism of the Iran war. The pontiff also criticized people who use Christian teachings to promote the war, which many viewed as a thinly veiled attack on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Mr. Trump fired back at the pope in a scathing social media post, calling him “weak on crime” and “catering to the Radical Left.”
Leo, who had avoided using Mr. Trump’s name, then responded more forcefully.
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“I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking loudly about the message of the gospel,” he told reporters. “And that’s what I believe I am called here to do.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.