Rubio Meets Pope Leo Amid Growing Tensions Between Trump and Vatican
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Pope Leo XIV met privately with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican to discuss the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere amid rising tensions with President Trump.
- The meeting followed President Trump's criticism of Pope Leo for his stance against the U.S.-Israeli-led war in Iran and his opposition to nuclear weapons, which Trump mischaracterized as support for Iran having nuclear arms.
- Pope Leo emphasized the Church's consistent opposition to all nuclear weapons and urged to be heard for the moral authority of the Gospel rather than political criticism.
- The State Department highlighted the meeting as a demonstration of the strong U.S.-Holy See relationship and shared goals of promoting peace and human dignity.
- Rubio's visit to Rome includes upcoming meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
