Rubio Meets Vatican and Italian Officials on Middle East Peace Proposal

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington is expecting a response from Iran today on a proposal for ending the war in the Middle East. The Trump administration is awaiting the Iranian reply, which could bring calm to oil markets, according to administration officials.

Rubio met Pope Leo XIV on Thursday at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting lasted 45 minutes. ” Rubio, a Catholic, responded “Great to see you” and gave the pope a small crystal American football, joking that he knew Leo was more of a baseball fan.

After the papal audience, Rubio met Vatican secretary of state Pietro Parolin. The Vatican said the talks raised the need to work tirelessly in favour of peace, with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations. S.

Official described the conversations as friendly and constructive. A State Department spokesperson said Rubio met Leo to discuss the situation in the Middle East and issues of mutual interest in the western hemisphere. The spokesperson added that the meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.

On Friday, Rubio met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. He spoke warmly of both the pope and Meloni afterward. The meetings followed weeks of public tensions between the Trump administration and both the Vatican and Italy.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of supporting nuclear weapons and “endangering a lot of Catholics” with his stance against the Iran war. The next day, Leo responded: “If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that.

” In April, Trump called Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy,” claiming he had only been elected pontiff because Trump occupied the White House.

Trump also shared and then deleted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. ” When asked whether he placed greater trust in Rubio or Trump, Parolin stated that he counts only on our Lord Jesus Christ. S.

Campaign against Iran. S. S. military personnel are stationed across seven naval bases in Italy. Trump administration officials, including Rubio, have publicly questioned the value of NATO amid the Iran war, expressing disappointment with the level of European support.

The State Department is also initiating a review of all 53 Mexican consulates in the United States. Relations between the Vatican and Washington have never been so fraught. Rubio’s trip to Rome was widely regarded as an effort to ease tensions after Trump’s repeated criticisms of the pope.