US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pope Leo at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday, in a visit widely seen as an effort to ease tensions following repeated criticisms of the pontiff by President Donald Trump. The meeting lasted 45 minutes, during which Rubio presented the pope with a small crystal American football, joking that Leo, a Chicago native and White Sox fan, was more of a 'baseball guy'.
The Vatican issued a statement saying the two sides exchanged views on current events, 'with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions, and difficult humanitarian situations, as well as on the need to work tirelessly in favour of peace'. A US official described the conversations as 'friendly and constructive', while a State Department spokesperson said the meeting underscored 'the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See, as well as their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity'.
The meeting came amid unprecedented strain on US-Vatican relations. On Tuesday, Trump launched a fresh verbal attack on the pope, accusing him of supporting nuclear weapons and 'endangering a lot of Catholics' with his stance against the Iran war. Leo responded on Wednesday, saying: 'If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that.'
Relations have been fraught since April, when Trump lashed out at Leo over the pope's criticism of the war in Iran, calling him 'weak on crime' and 'terrible on foreign policy', and claiming he was only elected because Trump occupied the White House. Trump later shared—before deleting—an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who met Rubio after the papal audience, had earlier defended Leo, calling Trump's attacks 'rather strange'.
Rubio is also due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, as relations between Rome and Washington have deteriorated. Political historian Lorenzo Castellani noted that Trump's attacks on the pope have forced Meloni to distance herself from the US president, despite earlier praising him. According to Italian newspapers, Rubio's goal is not necessarily to mend ties but to reassert Trump's position after the president accused Meloni of lacking courage for refusing to join the US campaign against Iran.
