Rubio tries to calm the waters in the Vatican after clashes with Trump
The US Secretary of State wants to distance himself from the president after attacks on the Pope have divided American Catholics
RomePeace in the Middle East and the promotion of religious freedom have been some of the issues addressed this Thursday by Pope Leo XIV and the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The head of US diplomacy was received by the pontiff amid a diplomatic crisis between the White House and the Vatican, after the unprecedented attacks by US President Donald Trump.
In a message posted on social media, Rubio stated that the meeting served to underline the shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity. “A friendly and constructive meeting,” stated US sources.
The meeting lasted nearly 45 minutes, although it began more than half an hour late due to the Pope's packed schedule, who also received the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, in audience this Thursday, discussing the situation in Ukraine. Later, he met with the new recruits of the Swiss Guard, the Vatican army, who swore their oath the previous day in a ceremony presided over by the pontiff himself.
During the traditional exchange of gifts, Leo XIV presented Rubio with a book on Vatican art and an olive wood pen: “The olive tree is, obviously, the plant of peace,” said the Holy Father to the Secretary of State, who in turn handed him a small glass paperweight shaped like an American football: “You are a baseball fan, but this bears the seal of the State Department.”
This was the second audience between Rubio, of Cuban origin and a practicing Catholic, and Leo XIV, with whom they had already held a private meeting last year after the inaugural mass of the Pope born in Chicago. However, the current context is radically different. If the election of a Pope born in the United States might have led the White House to believe it had an ally across the Tiber River, the latest clashes between Washington and the Vatican have dashed any American hopes. In fact, the audience was requested by the Trump administration a month ago, precisely when Donald Trump launched his first unprecedented attack on the pontiff, accusing him of being weak in foreign policy due to his condemnation of the attack on Iran.
Rubio's difficult Vatican mission became even more complicated after Trump, just hours before traveling to Rome, publicly attacked the pontiff again, accusing him of "endangering many Catholics" for his supposed lack of firmness in the face of the Iranian nuclear threat. "Regarding the Pope, it's very simple: like it or not, Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon. He seems to suggest that it can, and I say it cannot, because if that happens, the entire world will become a hostage, and we will not allow that to happen," said the US leader.
"The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and peace, not weapons," replied Leo XIV to journalists who asked him about the new attack by the inhabitant of the White House. And he added: "Therefore, if anyone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let them do so with the truth, since the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years and there is no doubt about it."
Rubio wants to distance himself from Trump
Trump's criticisms of Francis's successor have not only opened a diplomatic crisis with the Vatican, but have also created a rift among American Catholics. From this point of view, Rubio's visit also has a personal character and seeks to distance himself from the occupant of the White House to prevent it from backfiring on a future presidential candidacy of the current Secretary of State.
In a press conference on Tuesday at the White House, Rubio denied that the trip to Italy was motivated by these disagreements and stated that he would discuss issues with the Pope such as the distribution of humanitarian aid to Cuba, as the Vatican has been a mediator between Washington and Havana for years.
Before returning to the United States, Rubio will meet this Friday with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, also a victim of Trump's attacks in recent weeks, as well as with the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, and the Italian Chancellor, Antonio Tajani, who stated that before Rubio he will defend that diplomacy is the only instrument to achieve peace.