Pope Leo XIV received American Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday morning, reportedly discussing international conflicts and “the strong relationship” between his country and the United States.
The meeting arrives on the eve of the first anniversary of the election of the first American pope and follows multiple public criticisms by President Donald Trump complaining about the pope’s alleged political stances, as understood by Trump. While most corporate media outlets in the United States portrayed the encounter with Rubio as a way to mend fences following Trump’s social media commentary, Rubio himself indicated that the topics discussed would be international crises, in particular the communist humanitarian crisis in Cuba. Rubio, notably, is both Cuban-American and Catholic, and met with the pope for the first time shortly after his election last year.
The Vatican confirmed that the meeting occurred, but did not issue any details about what the two officials discussed. The State Department issued two readouts on Rubio’s meetings at the Vatican, one with the pope and one with his top diplomat, Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
According to the State Department, Rubio and Pope Leo discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” while the two secretaries of state discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East.”
Rubio “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity” in his meeting with the pope, according to the State Department.
The news agency Reuters reported that the meeting between the pope and the secretary of state “appeared to have run longer than planned,” as Pope Leo was late to his subsequent engagement.
“Rubio spent 2-1/2 hours at the Vatican before driving away in a convoy under tight security,” Reuters shared. “He met initially with Leo before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.”
Vatican News, the central news website sharing updates from the Holy See, also did not report on any details regarding the Rubio meeting as of press time, instead sharing details of the pope’s meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The website did highlight a story about American Catholicism, in particular a diocese in the pope’s home state of Illinois building a shrine to Venerable Father Augustine Tolton, the first publicly recognized black American priest.
Similarly, the pope did not mention his upcoming meeting with Rubio during his typical public remarks on Wednesday, but especially greeted Americans visiting the Vatican.
“I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience,” he said, including Americans.
The pope’s remarks on Wednesday centered on the responsibility Catholics have to confront injustice throughout history.
“As the sign and sacrament of the Kingdom, the Church is the pilgrim people of God on earth who, drawing precisely on the final promise, reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel,” he shared, “denouncing evil in all its forms and proclaiming, in word and deed, the salvation that Christ wishes to bring about for all humanity and His Kingdom of justice, love and peace.”
On Tuesday, prior to his departure for Rome, Secretary of State Rubio told reporters that he expected to discuss Cuba with the pope, in particular the use of Catholic aid infrastructure to provide relief to the oppressed and impoverished people on the island. While the Cuban Communist Party violently persecutes all forms of Christianity, it has historically tolerated some humanitarian operations by the Vatican, which the Trump administration has used to help funnel food and medicine to the Cuban people.
“We’re willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba … distributed through the church, but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it,” Rubio explained. “They won’t allow us to give their own people more humanitarian aid, and we’re willing to do it through the church.”
While President Trump has complained about the earthly head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo has consistently made statements on international issues that align with Trump foreign policy. The Vatican under Pope Leo has been vocal against the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, for example, an issue largely ignored by former President Joe Biden but brought to the fore by the Trump White House. During his visit to Lebanon in December, Pope Leo also discouraged world leaders from creating situations that cause mass migration.
“There are times when it is easier to flee, or simply more convenient to move elsewhere. It takes real courage and foresight to stay or return to one’s own country, and to consider even somewhat difficult situations worthy of love and dedication,” he told Lebanese Christians, who are now facing an invasion and occupation by Israel.
More recently, Pope Leo condemned the mass killing of pro-democracy protesters in Iran.
“I condemn all actions that are unjust,” he replied to a question about the state-sponsored massacres in Iran. “I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected.”
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