Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent two and a half hours at the Vatican Thursday in damage-control talks with Pope Leo XIV, as the Trump administration scrambles to repair relations after weeks of public feuding between the president and the American-born pontiff.
Rubio met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and other Holy See officials to discuss "the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity," according to the U.S. Embassy. The talks covered ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and Middle East peace initiatives.
Trump-Pope Tensions Escalate
The diplomatic mission comes after Trump accused Leo of being "weak on crime" in April following the pope's continued calls for nuclear disarmament. The president escalated his attacks May 4 on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," claiming Leo sympathizes with Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.
Leo fired back, defending his mission to "proclaim the gospel, to preach peace." The pope challenged critics to attack him truthfully, noting the church has opposed all nuclear weapons for years. The rift first opened in October when Leo criticized "inhumane" migrant treatment, then deepened during Easter season as he condemned Trump's threats to "eradicate Iranian civilization" as "truly unacceptable."
Vatican observers see Rubio's diplomatic outreach as an attempt to cool the rhetoric between two of the world's most influential American-born figures. Rev. Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary for the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education, called the meeting an effort to "return the confrontation to a quieter, more institutional register."
Catholic Diplomat Takes Lead
Rubio, a son of immigrants and the most prominent Catholic in Trump's cabinet after Vice President JD Vance, denied the meeting aimed to smooth relations during a Tuesday White House press conference. But the timing suggests otherwise, as Trump's inflammatory rhetoric has strained a relationship vital to U.S. influence among the world's 1.3 billion Catholics.
The Vatican holds outsized diplomatic weight in peace negotiations and humanitarian crises. Leo's criticism of U.S. policies on migration, nuclear weapons, and Middle East conflicts threatens to undermine American soft power at a time when Trump faces mounting international challenges from Iran to European allies questioning his leadership.
Vatican watchers will monitor whether Rubio's diplomatic intervention produces a public warming between Trump and Leo, or if the president's combative style continues to strain this centuries-old alliance.
