Overview
- The private audience at the Vatican, held Thursday, was described as friendly and underscored what the State Department called solid ties and a shared focus on peace and human dignity.
- Both sides discussed efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East, the war involving Iran, humanitarian work in the Americas, the situation in Cuba and Lebanon, and cooperation on religious freedom.
- Vatican leaders reiterated that conflicts should be resolved through negotiation and stressed the Church’s opposition to nuclear weapons, pushing back on the claim that the Pope supports Iran obtaining a bomb.
- Tensions with Washington remain because of the president’s repeated public attacks on León XIV, yet Cardinal Pietro Parolin said channels for direct dialogue stay open.
- The visit functions as diplomatic damage control that could lower the temperature of the dispute and help practical cooperation on aid to Cuba and regional crises, which may also matter to U.S. Catholics watching the rift.