Pope Leo and Marco Rubio on Thursday pledged to strengthen ties between the Vatican and Washington during their first official meeting, held against the backdrop of growing tensions between the pontiff and US President Donald Trump.
The Vatican said Leo and Rubio “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations” during talks that also focused on global conflicts and ongoing efforts to promote peace.
The meeting came amid repeated criticism by Trump of the pope in recent weeks over his opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran and the administration’s strict immigration policies.
Rubio’s visit was widely seen as an attempt to reinforce ties between the United States and the Vatican despite public disagreements between the pope and the Trump administration. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the relationship as “strong.”
According to the Vatican, the two sides exchanged views on major international developments and discussed “the need to work tirelessly in favour of peace.”
Video footage released by the Vatican showed the pope greeting Rubio formally before the two leaders held closed-door talks. Rubio later presented Leo with a crystal football, joking that the Chicago-born pontiff was more of a “baseball guy.” In return, Leo gifted Rubio a pen crafted from olive wood, describing it as “the plant of peace.”
The meeting reportedly lasted longer than expected and also included discussions with senior Vatican officials, among them Pietro Parolin.
Earlier this week, Trump accused the pope of “endangering a lot of Catholics” through his criticism of the Iran war and falsely suggested that Leo supported Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
The pope later rejected the accusation and reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to nuclear weapons while calling for peace and dialogue.
The meeting comes as Leo approaches the first anniversary of his papacy and increasingly takes a more outspoken role on global political and humanitarian issues.
