Overview
- Rubio’s three-day Rome visit, which runs Wednesday to Friday, includes a Thursday audience with Pope Leo XIV and talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Italian leaders Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto.
- The State Department says the talks will cover the Gulf conflict and shared interests in the Western Hemisphere, and the visit is widely viewed as an effort to repair strained ties.
- Tensions deepened after Monday’s interview in which President Trump said the Pope “endangers many Catholics and many people” and alleged he is fine with Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
- Responding Tuesday night, Pope Leo said critics should “use the truth” and stressed that the Church opposes all nuclear arms and will keep preaching peace.
- Italy has refused to back U.S. operations tied to the war with Iran and drew threats of partial U.S. troop withdrawals, which raises the stakes for Rubio’s meeting with Meloni.