Interviews of Pope Leo XIV. with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after weeks of tension between the Vatican and the White House, they emphasized the strong ties between the two sides. This was stated on Thursday by the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to TASR, according to the AFP and AP agencies.
- Pope Leo XIV’s meeting with Marco Rubio confirmed strong bilateral relations.
- Both leaders addressed the situation in the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere.
- Rubio and Cardinal Parolin discussed humanitarian issues and lasting peace in the Middle East.
- Trump accused the Pope of supporting Iran and sharply criticized his actions.
- Leo XIV rejects nuclear weapons and emphasizes the moral obligation to criticize war.
The pope and Rubio discussed the situation in the Middle East and issues of mutual concern in the Western Hemisphere, a department spokesman said after Thursday’s meeting. “The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” it says in the announcement.
Rubio also met with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. According to the spokesman, they discussed humanitarian activities and efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. Rubio’s visit was aimed at calming strained bilateral relations sparked by President Donald Trump’s harsh words against the Pope.
Relations between the White House and the Vatican, according to AFP, after the accession of the first American pope in history, Leo XIV. significantly worsened. Trump reproached the pope in April for not doing his job well. He branded him “weak in the fight against crime” and “terrible in foreign policy” after the Pope condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as “truly unacceptable”. Even then, Trump claimed that Leo XIV. he wants to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.
The Pope responded by declaring that he was “not afraid” of the American administration and had a “moral obligation to speak out” against the war in a negative and critical manner. Trump then claimed that the Pope was allegedly supporting Iran’s nuclear weapons, which the Vatican denied. Leo XIV. emphasized that the Catholic Church has long rejected all nuclear weapons.
Rubio is a practicing Catholic, and even before his trip to Europe he tried to play down the significance of the dispute. An official from his department told AFP that Thursday’s talks were “friendly and constructive”. The American minister spent two and a half hours in the Vatican and his private audience with the Pope lasted about 45 minutes. On Friday, Rubio is scheduled to hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni.
