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Rubio visits Vatican amid escalating tensions between Trump and Pope Leo

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

Italy-US ties strained as pope and Iran war dominate talks

officials are also seeking clarity on Rubio’s meeting at the Vatican, after Trump’s recent remarks about Pope Leo sparked backlash in the predominantly Catholic country. Meloni described the comments as “unacceptable”. Rubio said

Pope Leo tells Angola during huge Mass to ‘build hope’

meeting with Angolan officials, including President Joao Lourenco, Leo spoke out against the “suffering” and social and environmental “disasters” caused by the rampant exploitation of natural resources. The remarks in Angola, which endured a [decades

Top US Senate Democrats again try for war powers resolution – as it happened

Pope Leo XIV** on Sunday night, saying he was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” and was hurting the Catholic church. The US-born pontiff said in response that he did not fear

Divine intervention: why Pope Leo visit could be a godsend for Pedro Sánchez

official, the pastoral and the personal.  Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to hold a mass in the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. Photograph: Lluís Gené/AFP/Getty

Marco Rubio to visit Rome, reportedly to ‘thaw’ US relations with Italy

meet defence minister Guido Crosetto, although the foreign ministry source said an appointment has not yet been officially scheduled. The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Friday, the Pentagon announced

Middle East crisis live: US claims blockade has ‘completely halted economic trade’ into Iran, as Trump hints at return to talks in Pakistan

last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. AMERICA IS BACK!!! He also took aim at Nato in a separate

King Charles arrives in Washington for state visit fraught with tension

last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. A gunman opened fire inside the Washington Hilton hotel, prompting Secret Service agents to rush the president from the dais. Officials believe the president and members

Middle East crisis live: Iran says ‘fundamental’ issues’ still to be resolved with US amid strait of Hormuz impasse

meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the renewed crisis according to reporting from Axios. A senior US official said that unless there is a breakthrough in peace talks, it appears that the war could reopen

Pope heads to Cameroon as separatists announce 3-day pause in fighting

Trump criticism amid growing Vatican–U.S. tensions over Iran war](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/nx-s1-5780996/pope-leo-begins-tour-across-africa-row-with-trump-iran-war) The Vatican says fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and insisting on the correct uses of political authority are expected

Two weeks that pushed Trump to the edge. Is his presidency unravelling?

last Sunday night he [launched an unprecedented verbal assault on](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431) Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” after Leo spoke

U.S. military says it intercepted Iranian attacks on 3 Navy ships in Strait of Hormuz

Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open sparring with President Donald Trump. ### Administration has sent mixed messages The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy

Uncertainty looms as last oil tanker from Middle East arrives in California | First Thing

last tanker to the US state with the nation’s highest gas prices could have a significant impact on oil prices. While costs have risen in recent weeks, supply has not yet been severely affected

Pope Leo decries world ruled by ‘tyrants’ after Trump attacks

meeting involving a Mankon traditional chief, a Presbyterian moderator, an imam and a Catholic nun. The aim was to highlight the interfaith movement that has been seeking to end the conflict and care

Iran's foreign minister awaits U.S. delegation to Pakistan for peace talks

Leo](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/g-s1-118595/middle-east-war-updates#Three) --- ## **Witkoff and Kushner travel to Pakistan for Iran talks** White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News on Friday, said President Trump was dispatching Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad

Rubio meets Pope Leo: Can they heal White House-Vatican rift?

officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The US embassy to the Holy See wrote in an X post that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere

Ex-DOJ official goes public with blistering criticism of his former bosses

Leo Terrell (@LeoTerrellDOJ) [June 10, 2025](https://twitter.com/LeoTerrellDOJ/status/1932398435597971704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Gross, as NPR first reported last year, soon began working with the newly-formed "Weaponization Working Group." The small working group also included Jared Wise

US-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump says | First Thing

Leo criticized the White House over the Iran war. Vance also said of the pope: “If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful.” ## **DoJ files for overturning

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by 3 weeks as tensions rise in Strait of Hormuz

meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026. US President Donald Trump met Lebanese and Israeli envoys