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Agence France-Presse

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo on a trip to Rome this week, in the wake of the pontiff’s clash with US President Donald Trump, a Vatican source said on Sunday.
The source confirmed Italian media reports about the meeting, which newspapers said would take place on Thursday in an attempt to “thaw” relations.
It comes just weeks after Trump’s extraordinary criticism of Pope Leo over the Catholic leader’s anti-war rhetoric.
The private visit with the top US diplomat, who is a Catholic, will take place at 11.30am, according to a calendar published on the Vatican’s media site.
An Italian government source earlier said that Rubio would also meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Rubio had asked for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Trump’s closest European allies, whom he turned on after she defended the pope, the source added.
Media reports said he was also expected to meet Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, amid a deepening rift in transatlantic ties over the war in the Middle East.


Leo, 70, will on Friday mark one year as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, after being elected by cardinals on May 8 following the death of Pope Francis.
As the first pope from the United States, his words have arguably carried more weight in Washington than previous pontiffs – and he has used them, criticising notably the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
But it was the pontiff’s increasing anti-war rhetoric, particularly following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, that triggered Trump’s ire.
Leo declared Trump’s threat to destroy Iran “unacceptable” and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers “work for peace”.
The US president slammed the pontiff in a social media post as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”.
Trump also said he was “not a big fan of Pope Leo” and that he does not “want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.

Leo responded by saying he had a “moral duty to speak out” against war – and then sparked more headlines with a speech in Cameroon lambasting “tyrants” ransacking the world.
However, he later insisted the remarks were written long before the row and said he had not intended to start a new debate with the US president.
Christians across the world expressed their solidarity with the pope, and Meloni condemned Trump’s remarks as “unacceptable” – prompting the president to turn his fire on her.
“I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage but I was wrong,” the US president said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
He accused Meloni – a far-right leader who has sought to act as a bridge between diverging US and European views – of failing to help the United States with Nato.
Trump has threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome “has not been of any help to us” in the Iran war.
He has made a similar threat towards Spain, while the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany.
As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.
In Sunday’s address in St Peter’s Square, the pope marked World Press Freedom Day. “Unfortunately, this right is often violated – sometimes blatantly, sometimes in more subtle ways,” he said.
“Let us remember the many journalists and reporters who have fallen victim to wars and violence.”


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Italy

Rubio to visit Rome, meet Pope Leo who has clashed with Trump

Pope Leo has emerged as an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli led war with Iran, among other issues. Photo: TNS

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Donald Trump in 2025. Meloni has condemned Trump’s remarks about the pope as ‘unacceptable’. Photo: AP

‘Not a fan’: Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope Leo as rift deepens over Iran war

Pope Leo addresses journalists during a flight to Algiers on Monday. Photo: via Reuters

Pope Leo arrives in Algiers on Monday. Photo: AP

A picture posted by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account on Sunday. Photo: @realDonaldTrump via Truth Social

Pope Leo during a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in December. Photo: Vatican Media via AFP. 

Pope meets first female Archbishop of Canterbury in symbolic Vatican encounter

Pope Leo meets Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at The Vatican on Monday. Photo: Simone Risoluti / Vatican media / AFP

Pope Leo seeks to defuse tensions with Trump, says not trying to debate him

Pope Leo arrives at Luanda International Airport in Angola on Saturday. Photo: IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa

Pope urges Cameroon to reject violence at mass that draws 120,000 people

Pope Leo arrives in procession to celebrate mass at Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, on Friday. Photo: AP

Pope Leo leads mass at Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, on Friday. Photo: Vatican Media via dpa

The faithful pray as they attend the mass led by Pope Leo in front of Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, on Friday. Photo: AFP

Trump posts image of Jesus hugging him amid escalating feud with pope

US President Donald Trump has feuded with Pope Leo  over the Iran war. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about the conflict in Iran at the White House on April 6. Photo: AFP

An image posted on Donald Trump’s social media account shows the US president with Jesus in front of an American flag. ‌Image: @realDonaldTrump via Truth Social

News

World

Europe

US secretary of state also seeks a meeting with Italy’s Meloni, whom Trump has also turned against


US secretary of state also seeks a meeting with Italy’s Meloni, whom Trump has also turned against.


Rubio to visit Rome, meet Pope Leo who has clashed with Trump

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US secretary of state also seeks a meeting with Italy’s Meloni, whom Trump has also turned against

US secretary of state also seeks a meeting with Italy’s Meloni, whom Trump has also turned against