US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, where he spent two and a half hours holding talks with the pontiff and the senior figures, including Cardinal Pietro Paroline. The visit came amid escalating tensions between Pope Leo and US President Donald Trump. While the details of the Rubio-Pope meeting are yet to emerge, multiple sources say that the US Secretary of State discussed “efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East” in talks at the Vatican.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/vjl1J1RWYu
— U.S. in Holy See (@USinHolySee) May 7, 2026
Rubio, Pope Leo Discuss Middle East Crisis
The US Secretary of State and the pontiff discussed easing tensions. According to the State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, Rubio and Leo discussed the Iran war crisis and other topics of “mutual interest”. Pigott described the meeting as fruitful, saying that it strengthened the “relationship” between the United States and the Holy See. Together, Rubio and Pope agreed to a shared commitment of promoting harmony, peace and human dignity, he noted.
Pigott added that the two discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East. The discussion reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in advancing religious freedom.”
Pope Leo received Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, in the Vatican this morning. pic.twitter.com/bYLJ1brh93
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2026
Trip Not Aimed at ‘Assuaging Tensions’
Speaking to reporters ahead of his Vatican trip, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he made plans even before Trump and the Pope indulged in an altercation over the Iran war. Rubio dismissed the possibility that his visit to the Pope was focused on straightening out the issues facing the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV. In a statement, the US State Department announced that Rubio, during his Italy trip, will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
While the Italian papers hyped Rubio’s trip as “relations thawing mission,” Rubio was quick to dismiss those narratives, saying that his meeting was business as usual. “The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage, and other Secretaries of State have done that in the past,” Rubio told reporters.
Trump, Pope Leo Tirade
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo exchanged heated rhetoric over their differences about the war in Iran. Trump launched a barrage of social media posts attacking Pope verbally, accusing him of “endangering the Catholics worldwide. In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, a conservative talk radio host, Trump said that “the pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think that’s very good.” Trump continued, “But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The US born pontiff denied the allegations made by Trump, speaking to the reporters in Castel Gandolfo. Pope said that the Church’s mission is to “preach the Gospel, to preach peace.” “If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth,” Pope Leo said.
“The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt about this, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the Word of God.”
Trump also berated the pontiff about his stance on immigration and the death penalty. Pope Leo became a staunch critic of Trump’s potential use of the firing squad to deliver “criminal justice,” calling for its abolition. Trump called Pope Leo “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician,” Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social. “It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Pope Leo responded to Trump, saying that it was “not in [his] interest at all” to debate Trump on the conflict in the Middle East.
He had previously criticised Trump’s remark that he would obliterate the “whole civilisation” of Iran if the Iranian officials did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Pope slammed the US President’s remarks as “truly unacceptable.”
When asked to elaborate on what Trump meant, Rubio told reporters at a White House press briefing that US President’s intention was to underscore the importance of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. “I think the president’s point is, how anyone cannot see that as an unacceptable outcome and an unacceptable risk is beyond him. It’s puzzling, and someone has to do something about it,” he said.
