Marco Rubio Meets With Pope Leo At The Vatican Amid Trump’s Massive Feud With Pontiff

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarked connected a fence-mending sojourn to nan Vatican connected Thursday, aiming to underscore robust bilateral ties pursuing President Donald Trump’s caller broadsides against Pope Leo XIV.

The Pope’s opposition to nan Iran war had angered nan Holy See and fueled ongoing sparring betwixt nan 2 leaders.

During his visit, Rubio, a practicing Catholic, held an assemblage pinch Pope Leo XIV, a gathering analyzable astatine nan past infinitesimal by President Trump’s latest criticisms of nan Chicago-born pontiff.

The US State Department confirmed that discussions pinch Pope Leo and nan Vatican’s apical diplomat covered bid successful nan Middle East and "underscored nan beardown narration betwixt nan United States and nan Holy See," reflecting an "enduring partnership."

Rubio past met pinch Cardinal Pietro Parolin, nan Vatican caput of state, who had powerfully defended Pope Leo and criticized President Trump’s attacks successful understated negotiated position conscionable nan time before.

"Attacking him for illustration that aliases criticizing what he does seems a spot unusual to me, to opportunity nan least," Parolin stated connected Wednesday. Following these meetings, nan State Department reported that Rubio and Parolin discussed "ongoing humanitarian efforts successful nan Western Hemisphere and efforts to execute a durable bid successful nan Middle East," emphasizing nan "enduring business betwixt nan United States and nan Holy See successful advancing belief freedom."

The tensions betwixt President Trump and Pope Leo XIV began past period erstwhile President Trump lashed retired connected societal media, accusing nan Pope of being soft connected crime and coercion owed to his comments connected nan administration’s migration policies and nan Iran war.

Pope Leo responded by stating that God does not perceive to nan prayers of those who costs war. President Trump later posted a societal media image appearing to liken himself to Jesus Christ, which was subsequently deleted aft a backlash. He has since refused to apologize, explaining nan station arsenic a practice of himself arsenic a doctor.

Pope Leo has consistently pushed backmost against President Trump’s misrepresentations of his views connected Iran and atomic weapons, insisting he is simply preaching nan biblical connection of peace. "The ngo of nan religion is to preach nan Gospel, to preach peace. If personification wants to knock maine for announcing nan Gospel, fto him do it pinch nan truth," Pope Leo said precocious Tuesday, aft President Trump again accused him of being "OK" pinch Iran having a atomic weapon.

Rubio insisted this week that nan sojourn had been successful nan useful for a while, but acknowledged that "obviously we had immoderate worldly that happened." He explained President Trump’s caller criticisms were rooted successful his guidance to Iran perchance obtaining a atomic weapon, which he said could beryllium utilized against millions of Catholics and different Christians. Pope Leo has ne'er advocated for Iran to get atomic weapons, noting that nan Catholic Church "for years has spoken retired against each atomic weapons, truthful location is nary uncertainty there."

By Thursday, tensions appeared to person eased somewhat. In an speech of gifts, Rubio presented Pope Leo pinch a mini crystal shot paperweight, acknowledging nan Pope’s allegiance to nan Chicago White Sox. "What to get personification who has everything?" Rubio joked. Pope Leo, successful turn, gave Rubio a pen made of oliva wood – "olive being of people nan works of peace," he noted – base his overgarment of arms, on pinch a image book of Vatican artworks.

Rubio has often been tasked pinch toning down aliases explaining President Trump’s harsh rhetoric. President Trump has besides criticized Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, arsenic good arsenic different NATO allies, for a perceived deficiency of support for nan Iran war. Rubio is scheduled to meet pinch Meloni and Tajani connected Friday, meetings that whitethorn beryllium challenging fixed their beardown defense of Pope Leo and disapproval of nan Iran warfare arsenic illegal.

Giampiero Gramaglia, erstwhile caput of nan ANSA news agency, suggested that Rubio’s sojourn mightiness beryllium much astir his ain governmental ambitions, peculiarly pinch upcoming midterm US legislature elections and nan 2028 statesmanlike title successful mind. "I uncertainty Rubio has nan domiciled of conciliator for Trump," Gramaglia told Italy's Foreign Press Association. "I person nan cognition that Rubio’s ngo is much astir himself." The Rev. Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary successful nan Vatican’s civilization office, echoed this, stating that Washington "has travel to admit — implicitly but legibly — that (Leo’s) sound carries weight successful nan world that cannot simply beryllium dismissed."

Beyond nan contiguous tensions, Cuba was besides connected nan schedule for nan Vatican visit. The Holy See is peculiarly concerned astir nan Trump administration’s threats of imaginable subject action location pursuing nan January ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. President Trump has often suggested Cuba could beryllium "next," moreover hinting that naval assets deployed successful nan Middle East could return to nan United States via Cuba. Rubio, nan boy of Cuban immigrants and a longtime Cuba hawk, noted, "We gave Cuba \$6 cardinal of humanitarian aid, but evidently they won’t fto america administer it. We distributed it done nan church. We’d for illustration to do more." The Vatican did not instantly remark connected nan audiences.