Media: Rubio visit aims to ease differences with Pope Leo XIV

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to hold a “frank” meeting with Pope Leo XIV during a visit to the Vatican this week, as tensions persist following recent criticism of US policy by the pontiff and remarks by Donald Trump.

US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said on May 5 that the visit is intended to foster dialogue despite differences. “Nations have disagreements, and I think one of the ways that you work through those is... through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” Burch said.

“I think the Secretary is coming here in that spirit,” he added. “To have a frank conversation about US policy, to engage in dialogue.”

Trump has repeatedly criticised the first US-born pope in recent weeks, drawing backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum. In his latest remarks, he told radio host Hugh Hewitt that “the Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good”.

“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it’s up to the Pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Pope Leo XIV has not stated that Iran should possess nuclear weapons, but he has opposed the war that Trump says is aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program.

Rubio, who is Catholic, is expected to meet the pope after previously attending his inaugural mass alongside Vice-President J.D. Vance. That occasion marked the Trump administration’s only known Cabinet-level engagement with the pontiff prior to this visit.

Burch rejected suggestions of a significant divide between Washington and the Vatican. “I don’t accept the idea that somehow there’s some deep rift,” he said, adding that Rubio’s visit aims to ensure the US and the Vatican can “better understand each other, and to work through, if there are differences, certainly to talk through that”.

During his trip, Rubio is also scheduled to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on May 8. Meloni has publicly defended the pope, while her defense minister has warned that the war in Iran could put US leadership at risk.

Pope Leo XIV, who will mark the first anniversary of his leadership of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church on May 8, initially maintained a relatively low international profile but has recently become a vocal critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

He has also strongly criticized the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies and has called for dialogue between the United States and Catholic-majority Cuba to prevent violence.

By Tamilla Hasanova