Rome — Marco Rubio is set to visit Rome and the Vatican later this week for high-level meetings with Italian and Vatican officials, amid recent tensions between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s anti-war remarks.
According to an Italian government source quoted by AFP, Rubio — who is a Catholic — is expected to hold talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani during his Thursday-Friday visit.
Italian media reports also indicated that Rubio is scheduled to meet Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.
The visit comes weeks after President Trump publicly criticised Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s opposition to military escalation involving Iran and his calls for peace.
Since assuming leadership of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly voiced concerns about global conflicts and criticised hardline immigration policies pursued by the Trump administration.
Tensions escalated after Pope Leo described Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “unacceptable” and urged Americans to pressure lawmakers to pursue diplomacy and peace.
In response, Trump criticised the pontiff on social media, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” while also saying he was “not a big fan of Pope Leo.”
The dispute also drew in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who defended the pope and described Trump’s criticism as “unacceptable.”
Trump later accused Meloni of lacking courage and criticised Italy’s role within NATO, even threatening to reduce the US military presence in Italy amid broader disagreements over the Iran conflict.
Italian media have described Rubio’s upcoming visit as an effort to ease diplomatic tensions and rebuild communication between Washington, Rome, and the Vatican.
The diplomatic engagements also come as the United States reviews its military commitments in Europe, with the Pentagon recently announcing plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
