U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican this week.
AFP reported Monday, citing Italian government sources, that "Rubio, a Catholic, is expected to meet with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani during the visit."
Italian media reported that Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican for two days on the 7th and 8th and will also hold talks with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
Rubio's visit to Rome and the Vatican is drawing attention after U.S. President Donald Trump recently engaged in a war of words with Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized the war with Iran. AFP reported that "Italian media described Rubio's visit as a thaw meeting aimed at improving relations."
Leo XIV, the first American pope, has consistently criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown policies since becoming the head of the Catholic Church in May last year. After the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, the pope delivered a strong anti-war message, putting him at odds with Trump.
On the 7th of last month, addressing Trump's threat to inflict "civilizational destruction" on Iran, the pope said, "It is genuinely unacceptable. Peace must be pursued," adding, "God does not bless any war." Trump responded by criticizing the pope as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had been considered the European leader closest to Trump, has also been in conflict with him since the Iran war.
Meloni criticized the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as "beyond the scope of international law," and when Trump clashed with the pope, she bluntly said it was "unacceptable." Trump fired back at Meloni's remarks, saying, "She is the one who is unacceptable," and "She doesn't want to help us eliminate nuclear weapons."
