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Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican for “constructive” conversations on Thursday following heightened tensions between President Donald Trump and the pontiff over the U.S.-Iran conflict.
“The conversations today were friendly and constructive,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital.
Rubio, a Catholic, held a private meeting with the pope to reaffirm the Vatican-U.S. partnership early on Thursday morning. Trump said he sent Rubio to deliver what he described as a “very simple” message: Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Rubio and Leo discussed the situation in the Middle East and “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to a State Department readout.
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“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” said spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.
The meeting marked the Trump administration’s first engagement with the pontiff in nearly a year following tension.
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The pope has criticized the war with Iran by casting the conflict as a moral issue, warning that rhetoric targeting Iran’s population crosses a dangerous line.
“There has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said in April. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”
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The comments were seemingly in reference to one of Trump’s Truth Social posts, where he wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
Trump has taken an aggressive approach to his messaging with Iran and told reporters on Wednesday he only has one message for the pope.
“I can tell you this, that as far as the Pope is concerned, and it’s very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And he seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot, because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage. And we’re not going to let that happen,” he said.
Following his meeting with the pope, Rubio met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, to discuss shared priorities related to the conflict with Iran.
“They reviewed ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East. The discussion reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in advancing religious freedom,” said Pigott in a readout.
Rubio is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday.
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