08.05.2026 09:25
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, amid tensions with President Donald Trump over the Iran war. The meeting marked the first contact between the leader of the Catholic Church and a member of the Trump cabinet in about a year.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Rome, the capital of Italy. Secretary Rubio's convoy, under tight security measures, passed through the central Rome boulevard leading to the Vatican and arrived at the Vatican at 12:10 local time.
Marco Rubio held a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, the spiritual leader of Catholics, who had tensions with President Donald Trump over the Iran war. The meeting, closed to the press, was the first contact between the leader of the Catholic Church and an official from the Trump cabinet after about a year. The two met for approximately half an hour.
It was reported that after Rubio's meeting with Pope Leo XIV, he would meet with the Vatican's top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
TRUMP HAD REACTED TO THE POPE
Leo, the first American pope, had drawn Trump's reaction due to his criticisms of the US-Israel war on Iran and the Trump administration's strict immigration policies. Yesterday, in a statement, when asked if he had a message for Pope Leo XIV, Trump replied, "He, I think, was saying Iran might have nuclear weapons. But I say they cannot. Because if they do, the whole world is held hostage. We will not let that happen. That is my only message." In April, the US President also stated, "He doesn't understand what's happening in Iran, he shouldn't talk about war."