Pope Leo XIV Meets Marco Rubio Amid Tensions With Trump

Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV met privately with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday morning amid escalating tensions between the pontiff and President Donald Trump over the Middle East and nuclear policy involving Iran.

According to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, the meeting focused on “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.” The talks took place in the Pope’s private library overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica. The meeting came days after Trump publicly criticized Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of “endangering a lot of Catholics” and suggesting the Pope was soft on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Pope Leo later responded to reporters by defending the Vatican’s longstanding opposition to nuclear weapons. He said critics were free to challenge him but urged that his statements be represented truthfully, emphasizing that the Catholic Church has consistently spoken against all nuclear arms. Rubio separately stated that Trump did not understand why anyone would think Iran should possess nuclear weapons, though the Pope has never advocated such a position.

Rubio is expected to remain in Rome through Friday for meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Pope Leo XIV had warned priests against AI-generated homilies.

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