US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Meet Pope Leo XIV

The United States has confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome this week to meet Pope Leo XIV, amid ongoing tensions between Washington and the Vatican. The meeting is set for Thursday in the Vatican's apostolic palace, following the US administration's recent criticism of the pope over his stance on the Middle East conflict.

m. local time, as confirmed by the Holy See's press office. The encounter comes weeks after the administration publicly questioned the pope's leadership and handling of international issues, including the US-Israeli actions against Iran. During the two-day visit, Rubio will also confer with the Vatican's secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, and Italy's foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani.

Sources indicate the trip is intended to improve relations with both the Vatican and Italy, which have cooled in recent months. Rubio has requested a meeting with the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, though it has not been confirmed. Meloni, speaking at an event in Yerevan, suggested she might meet with him.

The visit coincides with the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's papacy. The pope, the first US-born pontiff, has faced criticism from the US vice-president, JD Vance, who urged the Vatican to focus on moral matters rather than theology and war. Tensions escalated after the pope condemned the war on Iran, prompting rebukes from the US administration.

The administration also criticized Meloni's government for not supporting strikes on Iran, leading to threats of withdrawing US troops from Italy. Rubio and Vance previously attended the pope's inauguration last year and extended an invitation for him to visit the White House, which has not been accepted.

In response to the criticisms, Pope Leo XIV stated he does not fear the US administration and continues to speak out against the war.

“I do not fear the US administration and continued to speak out against the war on Iran." — Pope Leo XIV, in response to recent outbursts (The Guardian). The pope will mark his anniversary with a trip to Pompeii and Naples on Friday, where he will celebrate mass at a local shrine. The US administration's actions included sharing and then deleting an AI-generated image, later clarified as unrelated to religious depictions.”

Relations between the US and Italy have been strained, with Meloni previously seen as a close ally but recently facing rebukes over her stance on the pope and the Middle East conflict. The visit by Rubio represents an effort to address these diplomatic frictions, focusing on shared interests in the region.

Multiple sources report that the meetings will cover Middle East developments in the wake of the recent criticisms.