Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo XIV met Thursday at the Vatican to discuss the situation in the Middle East and other matters, a meeting that came after weeks of tension between the American-born pontiff and President Trump.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.”
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Rubio, who is a devout Catholic, also met with Vatican Secretary of Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In a separate readout of that meeting, Pigott said the pair discussed “mutual cooperation and pressing international issues” and “efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East.”
The Vatican meetings come after weeks of Mr. Trump lobbing insults at Pope Leo, a feud that escalated after a “60 Minutes” story highlighted the pontiff’s criticism of the war in Iran.
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