Rubio plans to visit the Vatican this week as tensions between Trump and
the pope rise
[May 05, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Rome and
Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between
President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over U.S. policies, particularly
the Iran war.
The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a Catholic who with this
trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican at least three times as the
Republican president's top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and
Friday. The Vatican announced that Rubio would meet with Leo, the first
American pontiff, on Thursday.
“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the
situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western
Hemisphere,” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts
will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”
The trip comes as Trump has criticized Leo for his stances on the Middle
East and elsewhere and as the president has drawn pushback for posting a
social media image likening himself to Jesus Christ.
Trump lashed out at Leo on social media last month, saying the pope was
soft on crime and terrorism for comments about the administration's
immigration policies and deportations as well as the Iran war. Leo then
said God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who wage war. Then,
Trump posted the Christ-like image of himself.
Trump has refused to apologize to Leo and has sought to explain away the
now-deleted social media post by saying he thought the image was of him
as a doctor.
The tension has spilled over into Italian politics, with Prime Minister
Giorgia Meloni, a long-time Trump ally, taking exception to Trump's
comments about the pope. Trump in return also criticized her as his ire
against NATO allies expands over what he sees as a lack of support for
the Iran war — most recently with the Pentagon planning to pull
thousands of troops out of Germany in the coming months.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the West Wing of White
House in Washington, Thursday April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn
Martin)
Rubio has often been called on to tone down or explain Trump’s harsh
rhetoric as it relates to Europe, NATO and the Middle East, but the
dispute with the pope has domestic political implications in the
U.S. with midterm congressional elections approaching.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, has said he was not making a direct
attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for
peace and criticisms of the Iran war and other conflicts around the
world.
Rubio has already traveled to Italy twice in his official capacity
as secretary of state since last year. The first trip in May 2025
included Leo's inaugural mass and a private meeting with the pontiff
and Vice President JD Vance. The second, in February, was also with
Vance when they both attended the opening of the Milan Winter
Olympics and met with American athletes.
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