Rubio visits Vatican amid escalating tensions between Trump and Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV greets U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, upon his arrival for talks in the pope's private library at the Vatican. Vatican Media via AP/Vatican Media

Vatican Media via AP/Vatican Media

MILAN, Italy (RNS) – Amid a growing public rift between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump — arguably the two most influential American-born figures in the world — Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Vatican on Thursday seeking to highlight common ground between the Holy See and the Trump administration.

Rubio's meeting with Vatican officials lasted roughly two and a half hours and focused on "the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity," according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

Rubio also met with his Vatican counterpart, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and "reviewed ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East," according to the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Tommy Pigott.

But the timing of the visit led some Vatican observers to interpret it as an effort to cool tensions after weeks of increasingly sharp exchanges between Leo and Trump.

In April, Trump accused Leo in a lengthy social media post of being "weak on crime" following the pope's continued appeals for peace and nuclear disarmament. Speaking on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on May 4, the president accused Leo of being sympathetic to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

"I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people," he said.

In response, Leo replied that "the mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel, to preach peace."

"If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so truthfully. For years, the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt on that point," he added.

The first major rift between Leo and the Trump administration came in October of last year, when the pope criticized "inhumane" treatment of migrants. During the Easter season this year, the pope underlined the importance of peace as the U.S.-Israeli conflict escalated with Iran and he decried Trump's threat to eradicate Iranian civilization as "truly unacceptable."