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1h ago

Rubio Will Meet Pope Leo on Thursday in Vatican Talks

The trip signals U.S. damage control after Trump’s public attacks on the pontiff.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaks to the media during a meeting with President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. Gregorio Borgia/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the West Wing of White House in Washington, Thursday April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Pope Leo XIV gestures, on the day he holds a holy Mass at Malabo Stadium, on the last day of his apostolic journey, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Overview

  • The Vatican and U.S. State Department confirmed a private audience for Thursday, with talks focused on the Middle East and shared interests in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Rubio will also meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Italy’s foreign and defense ministers, with a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as likely by Italian and U.S. outlets.
  • The outreach follows April posts in which Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” after Leo condemned the Iran war and criticized hard-line immigration tactics.
  • The visit comes as transatlantic strains deepen, including a Pentagon plan to pull 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany and Trump’s threats to scale back forces in Italy and Spain.
  • Cuba is expected to surface in the talks, drawing on the Vatican’s past role as a go-between on the island and Rubio’s push to tighten pressure after a U.S. oil embargo.