US Secretary of State Rubio Meets Pope Leo XIV at Vatican
Al Jazeera Staff
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in a bid to repair ties after a series of attacks by President Donald Trump against the pope. The private meeting, requested by the U.S. side, is the first known encounter between the pope and a Trump administration official in nearly a year.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the Vatican on Thursday for a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV, expected to last about half an hour. Afterward, Rubio was scheduled to meet with the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. According to Cardinal Parolin, the meeting was requested by the U.S. side, and the pope would listen to what Rubio had to say.
This marks the first known meeting between the pope and a Trump administration official in nearly a year. Cardinal Parolin said they might discuss all the issues that have arisen in recent days, as reported by Reuters.
Relations between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV have seriously deteriorated after a series of public attacks by the U.S. leader, as the pope emerged as a strong critic of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. This drew reactions from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
Mr. Trump’s most recent attack came on Monday, when he accused the pope of "endangering many Catholics" by opposing war and falsely suggested the pope allowed Iran to possess nuclear weapons. Pope Leo rejected any support for nuclear arms, insisting that Church teaching holds nuclear weapons immoral. "The Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace," the pope said. "The Church has spoken out for years against all types of nuclear weapons—there should be no doubt about that."
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told reporters on Tuesday that the conversation between Pope Leo and Mr. Rubio would likely be "frank." Cardinal Parolin on Wednesday described Mr. Trump's attacks on Pope Leo as "strange," according to Reuters. "I do not want to make a personal judgment or assessment on this," the cardinal told reporters outside an event near the Vatican.
Additionally, Mr. Rubio is also set to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope against Mr. Trump’s attacks. Pope Leo has become increasingly outspoken on the international stage in recent weeks. During a trip to four African nations, he declared the world is "ravaged by a few tyrants"—comments he later said were not aimed at Mr. Trump. On Friday, Pope Leo, the first American pope, will mark his first year leading the Church of 1.4 billion faithful.
