US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, against a backdrop of sharp tensions between the White House and the Holy See.
The visit by Washington’s top diplomat come after US President Donald Trump’s extraordinary criticism of the Pope, head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, over his anti-war stance.
Rubio’s motorcade was seen driving up Via della Conciliazione, the avenue leading to St Peter’s Basilica, before entering the Vatican, AFP reported.
A devout Catholic, Rubio sought to play down the rift before the private audience, which was followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
The US Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told reporters this week the encounter would likely be “a frank conversation”.
For the Vatican’s part, “we’ll listen to him”, Parolin told reporters on Wednesday, noting that Washington had initiated the meeting.
The Trump administration had celebrated the election one year ago – May 8, 2025 – of Leo, the first US pontiff in history. Relations with the Holy See have since sharply deteriorated, though.
In an unprecedented attack, Trump last month took to social media to call the Pope “WEAK on crime, and terrible for foreign policy”.
His remarks came after Leo called for peace in the Middle East war launched by Israel and the United States. The Pope condemned a threat by Trump to destroy Iranian civilisation as “truly unacceptable”.
Before leaving, Rubio said the trip had been planned before the clash. “There’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican,” he told reporters at the White House, noting in particular the issue of religious freedom, on which the Vatican and Washington agree.
At a Vatican event on Wednesday, Parolin said: “I imagine we’ll talk about everything that’s happened in recent days – we can’t avoid touching on these topics.”
He added the talks would also cover international issues such as Latin America, Cuba and Lebanon. The Holy See has long played an active role in Cuban diplomacy, while Rubio – a Cuban-American – has led the US administration’s efforts to pressure the communist government in Havana.
Leo also knows Latin America well, having spent two decades as a missionary in Peru and acquired Peruvian citizenship.
Despite the peace-making attempt, Trump again criticised the Pope in an interview on Monday, alleging Leo believed it was “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.
“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” Trump said of the pontiff.
Asked about the comments on Tuesday, Leo said the Catholic Church’s mission was to “preach peace” and the Gospel.
“If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully,” he told reporters.
Parolin said on Wednesday that attacking the Pope “seems a little strange to me”, adding: “The Pope is being the Pope.”
Leo’s nationality means his words carry more weight in Washington than those of his predecessors. He has used them, notably to criticise the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
It was the pontiff’s increasing anti-war rhetoric that triggered Trump’s ire, though. The Pope and Rubio met for the first time last year at the Vatican, alongside US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, just days after Leo’s election.
