Marco Rubio Holds Talks With Pope Leo Amid Trump-Vatican Rift Over Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday in a high-level diplomatic effort aimed at easing growing tensions between the White House and the Catholic Church following President Donald Trump’s criticism of the pontiff over the Iran conflict.

Rubio, a practicing Catholic, spent more than two hours at the Vatican, where he held private talks with Pope Leo as well as Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The discussions reportedly focused on the Middle East crisis, religious freedom, humanitarian concerns and efforts to achieve peace in the region.

The meeting came days after Trump accused Pope Leo of indirectly supporting Iran’s nuclear ambitions because of the pontiff’s repeated calls for dialogue and opposition to the US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran. The Pope strongly rejected the claims, insisting that the Catholic Church has always opposed nuclear weapons and continues to advocate peace and diplomacy.

Relations between the Vatican and the Trump administration have become increasingly strained in recent weeks, with Pope Leo openly criticizing the humanitarian consequences of the Iran war and the administration’s hardline immigration policies. Observers say the dispute marks one of the most public disagreements between a US president and a pope in recent years.

Although neither side released detailed information about the closed-door talks, the Vatican later described the discussions as “cordial” and reaffirmed a shared commitment to maintaining strong bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States. Vatican officials also emphasized the importance of supporting peace efforts in regions affected by war and political instability.

Rubio’s trip also included meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani as Washington seeks to strengthen diplomatic ties with European allies amid growing international criticism of the conflict with Iran.