The US Secretary of State met on Thursday with the 11th in , in a meeting that was expected to be particularly intense, after repeated attacks on both sides that have been exchanged for weeks by the US president and the Pontiff regarding the war in .
Rubio remained at the Vatican for two and a half hours before leaving in a motorcade under tight security. He first met with Leo and then held talks with senior Vatican officials, including his top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
They discussed “matters of mutual interest”
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio and Leon discussed the situation in the Middle East “and matters of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere”.
“The meeting underscored the close relationship between the United States and the Holy See, as well as their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” it said.
In a statement, the State Department noted that at the meeting, participants “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See” and the “enduring cooperative relationship” between them.
Separate announcement for the meeting with Parolin
In a separate statement about the meeting with Parolin, Pigott said the two diplomats discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.” “The discussion reflected the longstanding partnership between the United States and the Holy See in promoting religious freedom,” the statement said.
Rubio’s meeting with Leo, the first between the pope and a Trump administration official in nearly a year, appears to have lasted longer than planned. The pope arrived 40 minutes late for his next meeting with Vatican officials and thanked them for their patience.
Vatican photos of the meeting showed Leo and Rubio shaking hands before sitting together in the pope’s official office.
What had come before
Leo, the first American pope, has drawn Trump’s ire after becoming a vocal critic of the US-Israeli war against Iran, as well as the Trump administration’s harsh anti-immigration policies. The US president has continued an unprecedented series of public attacks against the Pope in recent weeks, prompting backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
On Monday, Trump claimed the pope considers it acceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and said Leo is “putting many Catholics at risk” with his opposition to the war.
Leon told reporters after the latest attack that he was spreading the Christian message of peace. The pope also categorically rejected the idea that he supports nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church considers immoral.
“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” the pope said. “The Church has been against all nuclear weapons for years, and there is no doubt about that.”
As Rubio arrived at the Vatican, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving a meeting with Leo. He told reporters that they discussed ways to strengthen international cooperation and create hope in the world.
“It is still possible for the world not to plunge into chaos if good people, people of good will, find each other and act united,” Tusk said, speaking in Polish.
“Honest” discussion
Leo, who on Friday marks a year as head of the Church of 1.4 billion believers, has in recent weeks become more open and forceful in his interventions on the international stage.
During a tour of four African countries last month, he sharply criticized the course of global leadership and said the world was being “destroyed by a handful of tyrants,” in comments he later clarified were not directly directed at Trump.
Rubio is Catholic, as is US Vice President Jay D. Vance. The two had met Leo a year ago, after his enthronement.
Rubio said at a White House briefing days ago that he expected to discuss issues involving Cuba and religious freedom concerns around the world with Leo.
He arrived in Rome in the morning without reporters accompanying him on his plane, which is considered unusual for a US secretary of state.
The US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burts, had told reporters before the meeting that the conversation between the pope and the US government official was expected to be “frank”.
Rubio is expected to meet tomorrow with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope against Trump. Her administration’s defense secretary has also said that the war in Iran endangers American leadership.
