What is given to the man who is the representative of God on earth? If you are the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the answer seems to be an American football made of glass. A paperweight for the Pope. End.
In what was supposed to be a high-level mission to ease tensions between the Trump Administration and the Vatican, Rubio landed in the Holy See yesterday with a detail that has left diplomatic observers scratching their heads and social media doing what they do best: showing no mercy.
After the protocol greetings and before the meeting in which it is understood that they entered into trouble, the two men proceeded to the classic exchange of gifts. It was when Rubio gave the pope a small glass ball with the seal of the State Department. He did so with an almost prophetic warning: “I thought of a glass soccer ball… although I know you are more of a baseball fan.” The supreme pontiff, an American himself, is recognized as a great fan of sports in general, including soccer, which he became fond of during his years in Peru.
But if the gift surprised, the pope’s response did even more, which was brief, surgical and worthy of a meme instant: “Wow. OK.” Enthusiasm was clearly oozing from his pores. The subsequent icy silence has gone viral in every possible way. Because of his words and, also, because of his body language, so tense. Critics were quick to point out the absurdity of giving a symbol of the most American sport to a president and religious leader who has focused his speech on humility and criticism of consumerism.
“Leon looks like he’s thinking, ‘Yeah, thanks, I’ll put him right next to my collection of useless paperweights,'” one user wrote on X. “Is this a diplomatic gift or a prize from an insurance sales convention in Ohio?” another joked.
The pope, for his part, opted for a gift with a much more loaded message, a lesson in diplomacy: a pen carved from olive wood, which he called “the plant of peace.” An unsubtle contrast for a US administration currently trading verbal barbs with the Vatican, especially over its war in Iran and its immigration policy at home.
Tension in San Pedro
Rubio’s visit was not a simple courtesy trip. The background is a war of words between President Trump and Leo XIV over the conflict in the Middle East. Just two days earlier, on Tuesday, the Republican accused the religious leader of “putting many Catholics in danger” for his stance against the use of nuclear weapons and his call for dialogue with Tehran. “I guess, if it’s up to the Pope, he’s fine with Iran having a nuclear weapon,” Trump even said in an interview.
The pope, who has been in office for one year, has not remained silent. Upon leaving his residence in Castel Gandolfo, he defended his mission of peace: “The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and peace. If someone wants to criticize me for that, let them do so with the truth.”
