Overview
- Rubio met Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday in a private session that ran a little over two hours, then conferred with Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
- State Department and U.S. embassy readouts said they discussed the Middle East and issues in the Western Hemisphere, including Cuba, and affirmed cooperation on peace and human dignity.
- Vatican officials said Washington requested the audience, and the U.S. ambassador forecast a “frank” exchange as both sides worked to cool heated public rhetoric.
- The visit followed fresh attacks from President Trump, who claimed the pope was fine with Iran having a nuclear weapon, a charge Leo rejected by citing the Church’s long opposition to all nuclear arms.
- European leaders such as Italy’s Giorgia Meloni publicly backed the pope, and polling reported Wednesday showed Trump’s support among U.S. Catholics dropping, a shift that could influence next steps in Vatican–U.S. engagement.