Marco Rubio meets with Pope Leo amid tensions between the pontiff and Trump

LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

US SECRETARY OF State Marco Rubio has met with Pope Leo XIV amid ongoing tensions between Donald Trump and the first US pope.

Rubio said the meeting had been planned prior to Trump’s attacks on the pope.

“The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them,” said Rubio before his departure for Rome.

However, Rubio acknowledged that “obviously we had some stuff that happened” and added that “there’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican”.

The war of words between Trump and Leo boiled over last month when the US president took to his Truth Social platform to claim that the pope is “weak on crime” and on board with Iran having a nuclear weapon.

In the time since, Trump has repeatedly accused Leo of being in favour of Iran having a nuclear weapon, despite the fact that Leo has consistently spoken out against nuclear arms.

The spat was reignited this week when Trump told a conservative podcast that Leo was “endangering a lot of Catholics”.

“The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show on Monday.

“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people, but I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

A day later, Leo was asked about this latest attack and called on Trump to be “truthful”.

“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” Leo told reporters on Tuesday.

“If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully.

“For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, there is absolutely no doubt on that front.”

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Speaking last night, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that Trump’s attacks on Leo “does seem a bit strange to me”.

He added that the Vatican “continues to work on nuclear disarmament” and that it has a “very clear” position.

Parolin added that the “initiative” for Rubio’s visit came from the US side.

“We will speak about everything that has happened in these days,” said Parolin. “We could not fail to touch on these topics.”

Parolin added that “despite some difficulties occurring, the US certainly remains an interlocutor for the Holy See” and that Leo “is open” to “direct dialogue” with Trump.

He also said they would also discuss international issues, including Latin America, Cuba and Lebanon.

The Holy See has long played an active role in Cuban diplomacy, while Rubio – a Cuban-American – has led the US administration’s efforts to pressure the communist government.

Leo also knows Latin America well, having spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, even acquiring Peruvian citizenship.

Rubio is a Catholic and he and vice president JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, met with Leo in the days following his election as pontiff last May.

The US Secretary of State will meet with Leo just a day before the pope marks his first anniversary with a visit to Pompeii and Naples.

Meanwhile, Leo also met this morning with the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.

Tusk said he spoke with the pope on “responsibility, peace, and a world that today, more than ever, needs solidarity”.

In a post to social media, Tusk said Leo “reminds us all to be peacemakers”.

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