Rubio Meets the Pope in Vatican
The meeting comes amid growing tensions between the Vatican and the White House, after President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked Leo over his criticism of the US-Israeli war against Iran and the administration’s immigration policies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the Vatican on Thursday for talks with Pope Leo, in the first meeting between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.
The meeting comes amid growing tensions between the Vatican and the White House, after President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked Leo over his criticism of the US-Israeli war against Iran and the administration’s immigration policies.
Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, arrived at the Vatican under tight security shortly after 11 a.m. local time. His closed-door meeting with Leo was expected to last around 30 minutes, followed by talks with the Vatican’s top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Leo, the first American pope, has become increasingly outspoken on global affairs in recent weeks. He has criticized the war in Iran and warned against hardline approaches to migration, placing him at odds with Trump and senior members of the administration.
Trump has responded with a series of public attacks. On Monday, he falsely suggested that Leo believed Iran should be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and accused the pope of “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the war.
Leo rejected that claim, telling journalists that the Catholic Church has long opposed nuclear arms and that his message was one of peace.
“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” the pope said. “The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear arms, on that there is no doubt.”
The meeting is expected to cover several issues beyond the Iran war. Rubio said earlier this week that he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world.
The US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, said Tuesday that the conversation between Rubio and the pope was likely to be “frank.”
Rubio is Catholic, as is Vice President JD Vance. Both men met Leo last year after attending the pope’s inaugural Mass.
The secretary of state arrived in Rome without members of the press traveling on his plane, an unusual step for a US secretary of state. He is scheduled to remain in Rome for two days and meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday.
Meloni has defended Leo against Trump’s criticism. Her defense minister has also warned that the war in Iran could put US leadership at risk, adding another layer of diplomatic sensitivity to Rubio’s visit.