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2h ago

Rubio Meets Meloni as U.S. Seeks to Repair Rifts With Vatican, Italy

Vatican phrasing signaled relations remain strained.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the room after speaking to the media in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Image
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves the San Damaso courtyard after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) is welcomed by Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani at the Palazzo della Farnesina, Italy's Foreign Ministry in Rome on May 8, 2026.

Overview

  • Rubio met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome Friday in talks aimed at easing a dispute over the Iran war and preserving the Italy–U.S. partnership.
  • Following Thursday's audience with Pope Leo XIV, a Vatican statement said both sides would work to rebuild ties, which analysts read as a sign of real strain.
  • Italy says it will not join offensive operations in Iran and that any U.S. request to use Italian bases for strikes needs a vote in Parliament under Italy's constitutional rules.
  • The Pentagon has announced a 5,000‑troop pullback from Germany, and President Donald Trump has threatened further withdrawals from Italy and Spain, raising concerns about NATO's posture in southern Europe.
  • State Department officials said talks covered the Middle East and Western Hemisphere issues, while Italian leaders flagged the Strait of Hormuz disruption as a driver of higher energy costs for households.