Rubio to visit Rome and the Vatican after Trump’s clash with Pope Leo

ROME: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to Rome and the Vatican this week, an Italian government source said on Sunday, in a visit that comes weeks after a public dispute between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV.

According to the source, Rubio, who is Catholic, is expected to hold talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Italian media have also reported that he is due to meet Defence Minister Guido Crosetto during the Thursday-Friday trip.

The visit follows tensions that emerged after Trump sharply criticised Pope Leo over the pontiff’s anti-war comments. Trump also targeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she defended the pope.

Italian media on Sunday described Rubio’s trip as an effort to help improve strained ties.

Tensions after Pope Leo’s remarks

Pope Leo became head of the Roman Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion followers on May 8, 2025, after the death of Pope Francis. Since assuming the role, he has criticised the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

However, the sharpest reaction from Trump came after the pope’s increasingly vocal anti-war stance, especially following the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

On April 7, Leo said Trump’s threat to destroy Iran was unacceptable and called on Americans to press US lawmakers to work for peace.

Trump used those words in a social media post directed at the pontiff. He also said he was not a big fan of Pope Leo and that he did not want a pope who thinks it is OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Meloni also drawn into dispute

Meloni, one of Trump’s closest European allies, condemned the US president’s criticism of the pope as unacceptable. Her response then drew a rebuke from Trump. "I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," he said.

Trump made those remarks in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera. He also accused Meloni, a far-right leader who has tried to bridge differences between the United States and Europe, of not doing enough to support Washington within Nato.

Trump has also threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy, saying Rome has not been of any help to the United States in the Iran war. He has issued a similar warning to Spain.

The Pentagon has separately announced that 5,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Germany.

Rubio’s meetings in Rome and the Vatican are therefore taking place against the backdrop of broader strains in US ties with both the Holy See and parts of Europe.