Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Thursday with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to advance U.S. partnerships with the Catholic Church despite President Donald Trump’s recent criticisms of the supreme pontiff.
The reportedly “friendly and constructive” closed-door meeting between the two Catholic Americans — their second since the papal inauguration — is part of a larger itinerary involving engagements with top officials of the Holy See and the Republic of Italy “to advance bilateral relations” between the United States and those powers. The State Department’s Monday preview of the secretary’s travels further noted he would “meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere,” while the meeting with Italian counterparts would “be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.” Likewise, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch stated the visit would center around “deep cooperation, shared interests, and — in many ways, I think — shared goals.”
Pope Leo received Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, in the Vatican this morning. pic.twitter.com/bYLJ1brh93
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2026
“His visit, I think, speaks to our deep desire to engage in exactly what the Holy See has called for: fraternity and authentic dialogue,” Burch told reporters Tuesday.
After meeting with the Holy Father, gifts were exchanged and Rubio introduced his wife and the rest of the accompanying delegation.
“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
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
“Secretary Rubio welcomed the recent arrival of Archbishop [Gabriele] Caccia as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. They reviewed 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.”
The secretary then met with his veteran Holy See counterpart, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, “to discuss mutual cooperation and pressing international issues.” Altogether, Rubio spent two and a half hours in the Vatican.
Parolin previewed the meeting Wednesday with Rubio, noting “we will listen to him; the initiative came from them [the U.S.].”
“We will speak about everything that has happened in these days,” he added. “We could not fail to touch on these topics.”
Scheduled for the eve of the one-year anniversary of the 267th Vicar of Christ’s election, the meeting took place following a bevy of criticisms launched by Trump at the pope over perceived slights relating to the U.S.’s armed conflict with Iran. Trump lambasted Pope Leo as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in an April 12 post to Truth Social, seemingly after the Holy Father took issue with suggestions God takes sides in armed conflicts.
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 10, 2026
Pope Leo XIV holds a private audience with US Vice President James David (J.D.) Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the Inauguration Mass of his pontificate on Sunday.https://t.co/3XTs1m2fuk pic.twitter.com/wjcLAR7ZZ2
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 19, 2025
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” he added.
Trump continued to express his disappointment with Leo while maintaining a conditional ceasefire with Iran. The president’s latest criticism was launched during a Monday interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” after the namesake host expressed a hope Trump could free imprisoned Catholic Hong Kong businessman and democracy activist Jimmy Lai during a planned May 14-15 visit to China. Trump, connecting to a point Hewitt made about wanting the pope to call attention to the situation the ailing 78-year-old Lai was in, responded, “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. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people, but I guess, if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
“He’s from Chicago,” Hewitt concluded, “he’s got to learn a few things.”
“Well, I can tell you this, that as far as the pope is concerned, it’s very simple: whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump echoed to reporters Wednesday before erroneously claiming Leo was permissive of the Islamic regime possessing such devastating weapons. “And he seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot. Because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage and we’re not going to let that happen. That’s my only message, OK?”
President Trump shares a “simple” message for Pope Leo ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with the pontiff.
“As far as the Pope is concerned, it’s very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” pic.twitter.com/WfHKQZAMcJ
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) May 6, 2026
President Trump shares a “simple” message for Pope Leo ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with the pontiff.For his part, the pope was unmoved from the Church’s longstanding position, advocating for peace through diplomacy. He admitted April 13 that he was “sorry to hear” the president’s personal attacks but that he had “no fear of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”
Whereas Trump had hitherto been enthusiastic about the “great honor” of having an American pope shepherd the Catholic Church, his esteem evidently soured over perceived political criticism and the Holy Father’s seeming departure from strictly spiritual guidance.
“To talk about just war today, it’s a very complex problem,” Leo told reporters Tuesday. “You have to analyze it on many levels, but ever since the entrance into the nuclear age, the whole concept of war has to be reevaluated with terms today. The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully.”
“For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point,” the pope continued. “I have spoken about this from the very moment I was elected, and now we are nearing the anniversary. I said [then], ‘Peace be with you.’ I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of the word of God.”
Leo also expressed hope his upcoming meeting with Rubio would be “a good dialogue,” approached “with trust and openness” in order “to understand one another well.”
“The pope has already responded; I wouldn’t add anything,” Cardinal Parolin separately told reporters Tuesday. “He gave a very, very Christian response, saying that he is doing what his role requires, which is to preach peace. Whether this is liked or not is another matter. We understand that not everyone is on the same page; but let’s say that this is the pope’s response.”
The cardinal also stated to reporters Wednesday, “I make no judgments” on the criticism of the pope by Trump.
“How can one do without the United States? One cannot do without the United States. Despite some difficulties occurring, they certainly remain an interlocutor for the Holy See. Also because they have a role in almost all the situations we are experiencing today.”
One year ago tomorrow, white smoke rose over Saint Peter’s Square and the Church received Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States.
U.S. bishops look back on the moment they heard the news, the surprise of an American successor of Peter, and what Pope Leo XIV’s… pic.twitter.com/XVnG9BckZn— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (@USCCB) May 7, 2026
He did note, however, that, “To attack him in this way or to reproach what he does seems a bit strange to me.”
“Certainly, it is not a correct statement, in the sense that the Holy See has always worked, continues to work precisely on nuclear disarmament,” he continued, intent on correcting Trump’s characterization of the pope’s position, “it has spoken and has promoted this agreement that touches on the legitimacy of the possession of nuclear weapons.”
“The Holy Father is open to all options, he has never held back in the face of anyone,” Parolin also said, calling speculation of a future call between Trump and the pope “premature.” “Therefore, if there were an offer or a request for a direct dialogue with President Trump, I imagine that he would have no difficulty in accepting it.”
The exchanges by the two heads of state were considered by some to be a motivating factor behind Rubio’s visit to the Vatican, a speculation he denied during a Tuesday press briefing.
“No, I mean, it’s a trip we had planned from before, and obviously we had some stuff that happened,” Rubio said. “And, no, look, there’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican.” He went on to identify as examples the U.S. partnering with the Church to facilitate millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, as well as promoting religious freedom around the world.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the timing of his upcoming visit to the Vatican is not tied to a rift between President Trump and Pope Leo, and that it was ‘planned from before’ https://t.co/OPkIGlTP8R pic.twitter.com/utTLowSIG3
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 5, 2026
“Look, I mean, the pope is obviously the Vicar of Christ, is a Roman Catholic,” he continued. “You know, but he’s also the head of a nation state, you know, and it’s an organization that has a presence in over 100-something countries around the world. And we engage with the Vatican quite a bit because they’re present in many different places.”
“I don’t accept the idea that somehow there’s some deep rift,” Ambassador Burch likewise said. “I think nations have disagreements and I think one of the ways that you work through those is, as the Holy See says, is through fraternity and authentic dialogue. I think the secretary is coming here in that spirit, to have a frank conversation about U.S. policy, to engage in dialogue, to better understand each other and to work through — if there are differences — certainly to talk through that.”
.@SecRubio had the honor of visiting the Vatican and attending His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square. As the first American pontiff begins his sacred ministry, the Secretary looks forward to the opportunities for continued collaboration. pic.twitter.com/D92KUTVPgU
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 19, 2025
Asked if he agreed with the sentiment Trump expressed that the pope, through his rhetoric opposing the Iran war, is “endangering a lot of Catholics,” Rubio demurred.
“Well, I don’t think that’s an accurate description of what he said,” continued the secretary. “I think what the president basically said is that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others for that matter.” He went on to say Iran is “holding the whole world hostage” through their aggression in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the regime’s possession of nuclear weapons would even more so threaten global stability.
“And 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,” Rubio added. “And that’s what he promised he would do when he got elected, by the way, is address threats like this.”
“What the President basically said is that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others for that matter!”
“It goes back to… pic.twitter.com/3HXDCMdbLw
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) May 5, 2026
The White House referred the DCNF to the secretary’s comments at the Tuesday briefing when reached for comment.
Editor’s note: This breaking news report will be updated with additional details as they are released.
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