US State Secretary Rubio To Visit Vatican To 'Thaw' Relations Weeks After Trump's Attack On Pope

Last Updated:May 03, 2026, 19:04 IST

Marco Rubio to visit Rome and the Vatican weeks after Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV, with key meetings and a possible encounter with the US pontiff.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican weeks after President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

AFP quoted an Italian government source saying that Rubio would meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Though there has been no official confirmation, local Italian media has reported that Rubio would meet the US pontiff on Thursday.

The US President had launched a series of direct and increasingly personal attacks on Pope Leo XIV over his criticism of the Iran war, calling him “WEAK on Crime" and “terrible for Foreign Policy" and even questioning why he was elected Pope. He also accused Leo of acting like a politician and said his actions were harming the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for restraint, ceasefire, and dialogue, warning against escalation and highlighting the humanitarian cost of conflict. In his interventions, he cautioned against what he described as the “delusion of omnipotence" that fuels wars and criticised the use of religion to justify military action.

News world US State Secretary Rubio To Visit Vatican To 'Thaw' Relations Weeks After Trump's Attack On Pope

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