The US State Department said the meeting between Pope Leo XIV and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “underscored the strong relationship” between the two sides, following weeks of tension between the Vatican and the White House.
In their meeting on Thursday, Pope Leo and Pope Rubio “renewed their common commitment” to good bilateral relations between the United States and the Vatican, a Vatican statement said.
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It added that the two countries exchanged views on current events “on the need for continuous efforts towards peace, with special attention to countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations.”
Mr. Leo, the first American pope, met Mr. Rubio in an atmosphere of tension between Washington and the Vatican following President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on Catholic leaders over the Iran war started by Israel and the United States.
“This meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and our shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” said U.S. State Department Spokesman Tommy Piggott.
Rubio spent two and a half hours at the Vatican before leaving in a motorcade under tight security. He first met with Leo and then with Vatican officials, including Italy’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
White House Press Secretary Piggott said Mr. Rubio discussed “efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East” with Mr. Parolin. “This discussion reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in promoting religious freedom,” he added.
Thursday’s meeting will be the first known meeting between a pope and a Trump administration official in nearly a year. Mr. Parolin earlier said that the meeting was at the request of the United States and that Mr. Leo would listen carefully to Mr. Rubio’s views.
War of words between Trump and Leo
President Trump’s latest attack came on Monday, when he accused the Pope of “putting many Catholics at risk” by opposing the war and falsely suggested that the Pope believed Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons was acceptable.
In remarks before the trip, Mr. Rubio pushed back, saying the U.S. leader’s earlier statements had been misinterpreted.
“Well, I don’t think that’s an accurate description of what he said,” he told reporters Tuesday when asked about Trump’s comment that the pope “puts a lot of Catholics at risk.”
Rubio said the president’s concerns are rooted in the threat Iran could pose to “areas that are predominantly Catholic, Christian, etc.” and questioned why “everyone thinks it’s a good idea for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
Trump had earlier criticized the pope for comments he made to right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, suggesting the pope was too soft on Iran.
“The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and I don’t think that’s a very good thing,” Trump said.
“I think he’s putting a lot of Catholics and a lot of people at risk, but I think he thinks it’s OK for Iran to have nuclear weapons if it’s up to the Pope,” he added.
Leo denied supporting nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church teaches are immoral.
“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and to preach peace,” the Pope said. “The Church has been speaking out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no question about that.”
“Candid” conversation
Brian Birch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, told reporters Tuesday that the conversation between Mr. Leo and Mr. Rubio is likely to be “candid.”
In comments quoted by Reuters on Wednesday, Parolin called President Trump’s attack on Pope Leo “bizarre.” “I don’t want to go into judgment or personal evaluation of this,” the cardinal told reporters outside an event venue near the Vatican.
Tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo began in March when the pope opposed the Iran war and criticized his use of Christian rhetoric to justify military action. The controversy escalated in April when President Trump attacked the pope on social media, calling him “soft on crime” and accusing him of working with the “radical left.”
Pope Leo later responded during a visit to Algeria, saying he would not be afraid and would continue to speak out against the war.
“I will continue to oppose war, seek to promote peace, promote dialogue between nations and multilateral relations, and continue to seek solutions to problems,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Mr. Rubio is scheduled to meet on Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who defended the pope and said the war in Iran endangers U.S. leadership.
On Friday, Pope Leo will mark his first year leading the church of 1.4 billion members.
