Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Rome on Wednesday to meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. Rubio’s trip comes at a sensitive time between the Trump administration and the American pontiff after President Donald Trump criticized the pope over his comments on the Iran war.
The news of Rubio’s travel sparked questions about whether he was going to try to smooth things over, but Rubio said in a press briefing Tuesday that the trip was pre-planned.
“We have a lot to talk about with them, and I engage with them quite a bit on that front,” Rubio, a Catholic, said of U.S. aid to countries going through the Catholic church.
“So, the trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them,” he continued. “And other secretaries of states have done that.”
The State Department issued a statement about Rubio’s travel, saying the discussions will be focused on the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere. They will touch on “shared security interests and strategic alignment.”
The visit comes after Trump levied harsh criticism at Pope Leo several weeks ago.
He called the pope “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”
The pope has spoken out the war in the Middle East, calling for peace. He called for a kingdom with “dignity, understanding and forgiveness.”
In mid-April, Pope Leo tried to tamp down the conflict, saying it was not in his “interest at all” to debate the president. His comments came after Trump responded to the pope’s statements on the world “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
The pope said those comments were not directed at Trump, despite media reports.
Vice President JD Vance, who is also Catholic, responded to the pope, saying he was “grateful to Pope Leo for saying this.”
“Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day,” he added. “The President–and the entire administration–work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his."
Trump responds to pope’s statement on nuclear weapons
The attempt to tamp down the conflict hasn’t completely ended the back on forth.
On Monday, in an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said the pope would “rather talk about the fact that it’s OK 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,” Trump said.
Ahead of Rubio’s visit, Trump was asked on Wednesday about the developments with the Pope.
“As far as the pope is concerned, it’s very simple, whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “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. That’s my only message.”
The pope has not said Iran could have nuclear weapons and has called for peace talks. In response to Trump’s latest criticism, Pope Leo said Tuesday that the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there,” The Associated Press reported.
“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth,” Pope Leo said.
Rubio, ahead of his visit, reiterated the president’s claim that everyone should be of the belief that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon.
“I cannot understand why anyone would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Rubio will depart Washington on Wednesday and return on Friday after conducting conversations with the Vatican.