U.S. Secretary of State Rubio to Meet with the Pope in Coming Days

Europe – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Rome and the Vatican in the coming days to meet with the Pope, following former President Trump’s harsh criticism of Pope Leo XIV. A Vatican source confirmed on Sunday reports of the upcoming meeting. According to Italian media, the meeting is scheduled for Thursday and aims to ease bilateral relations. This comes just weeks after the U.S. president delivered sharp criticism toward the Pope, expressing discontent with the pontiff’s pacifist rhetoric.

A senior Italian government source told AFP that, as a devout Catholic, Rubio will also hold talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and second-highest-ranking official. It is expected that Rubio will also meet with Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.

According to an Italian government source, Mr. Rubio has also requested a meeting with Meloni. Meloni is one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, even though the U.S. president does not approve of her defense of the Pope—Trump had previously made several notably harsh remarks about the pontiff. The 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV will mark his first anniversary as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics this Friday. He was elected by the College of Cardinals on May 8, 2025, succeeding the late Pope Francis.

As the first American-born pope in history, his statements undoubtedly carry more weight in Washington than those of his predecessors—and he has indeed leveraged this influence, particularly in criticizing the current U.S. administration’s restrictive immigration policies.

But what truly angered Trump was the pope’s increasingly vocal pacifist stance, especially following the joint U.S.-Israel strike against Iran. Pope Leo XIV declared Trump’s threat to destroy Iran “unacceptable” and urged American citizens to demand their lawmakers “commit to peace.”

In response, the U.S. president launched a fierce attack on the Pope via social media, accusing him of being “weak” in combating crime and “inept” in foreign policy. He also explicitly stated he “doesn’t like” Pope Leo XIV very much and expressed no desire for “a pope who thinks it acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”

The Pope responded by asserting his “moral responsibility” to oppose war, later delivering a speech in Cameroon condemning “tyrants” ravaging the planet, once again drawing global attention. However, he later insisted the speech had been written long before the controversy arose and affirmed he had no intention of reigniting conflict with Trump.

Christian groups rallied in support of Pope Leo XIV, with Italian Prime Minister Meloni calling Trump’s remarks “unacceptable,” which left the pontiff “shocked.” Even Trump admitted during an interview with Italy’s La Stampa: “I thought Meloni was brave—I was wrong.”

He also accused Ms. Meloni, who has consistently worked to mediate differences between Washington and Europe, of failing to help keep the U.S. within NATO.

Source: rfi

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864219395146764/

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