Marco Rubio Seeks to Repair Ties with Pope Leo After Trump Feud

(SeaPRwire) –   In a Thursday meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo highlighted their “shared commitment to promoting peace,” against the backdrop of a continuing dispute between the pontiff and President Donald Trump.

Rubio’s arrival at the Vatican on a significant diplomatic trip came shortly after Trump charged the Pope with “endangering Catholics” due to his stance against the war in Iran.

Their conversation lasted approximately two and a half hours, covering “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

Pigott stated that the encounter “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.”

Rubio additionally conferred with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who had defended Pope Leo from Trump’s criticisms the day before the meeting.

“To attack him in this way or to reproach what he does seems a bit strange to me,” Parolin remarked on Wednesday.

The discussions also touched on “mutual cooperation and pressing international issues” and included a review of “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East.”

According to the Vatican, the conversations addressed the “need to work tirelessly in favor of peace.”

A Vatican statement noted the parties exchanged perspectives on current affairs, “with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions, and difficult humanitarian situations.”

A “shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America” was also affirmed.

The gathering was clouded by Trump’s comments days earlier, which misrepresented Pope Leo’s view on the Iran conflict.

“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,” Trump said on Monday.

These remarks led Pope Leo to publicly reaffirm his and the Catholic Church’s position, asking critics to be “truthful.”

“For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point,” he stated Tuesday.

Steve Millies, a Public Theology professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, informed TIME that the visit was a crucial diplomatic event for the Trump Administration, as “the Holy See is very important, even for a power like the United States,” considering its worldwide sway.

By Thursday, the strain seemed to have diminished.

In a gift exchange at the Vatican, Rubio gave Pope Leo a small crystal football-shaped paperweight, alluding to the Pope’s backing of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

“You’re a baseball guy, but it has the seal of the State Department,” Rubio said. “What to get someone who has everything?” he quipped, displaying the paperweight.

Pope Leo reciprocated by presenting Rubio with a pen apparently crafted from olive wood. 

“Olive being of course the plant of peace,” the Pope explained, noting it bore his coat of arms and was accompanied by a picture book of Vatican art.

The feud between Trump and the Pope explained

The first American Pope, Leo, has frequently been at odds with the Trump Administration on matters from immigration to the Iran wars and the persistent U.S. blockade of Cuba.

Conflict intensified when Trump openly assailed the Pope, labeling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” following the Pope’s appeal to halt the Iran war.

Trump’s censure of the Pope, along with a since-removed AI-created image portraying him in a Christ-like manner, also provoked a negative response from Christians and conservatives.

Even with the criticism, Trump kept misstating the Pope’s Iran stance, leading Leo to reaffirm his advocacy for diplomatic solutions.

“I always believe that it is much better to enter into dialogue, than to look for arms, and to support the arms industry, which gains billions and billions of dollars each year,” he declared.

Rubio continues his diplomatic mission

Prior to his Vatican journey, Rubio maintained the trip was scheduled well in advance, though he conceded “obviously we had some stuff that happened.”

Rubio also came to Trump’s defense, contending the President’s words were misinterpreted.

“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,” Rubio explained.

Millies told TIME the disagreement arises at a politically delicate time for Republicans before the U.S. midterm elections.

“For most Catholics, having the President of the United States attack the Pope over and over in this pointed way, pushes a button. It excites a reaction, and the reaction is not one that’s going to play well for President Trump or for the Republican Party,” he said.

The voyage also served as a political challenge for Rubio personally, as he is broadly considered a top candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.

The Secretary of State will proceed with his diplomatic tour in Italy, with scheduled meetings on Friday with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

These talks are anticipated to further challenge Rubio’s diplomatic abilities, as friction between Washington and Rome grows following Trump’s threat to pull U.S. troops from Italy and Spain over their lack of support for the Iran war.