Rubio to Visit Vatican, Italy for Diplomatic Talks

ROME – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to visit the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of diplomatic meetings, according to reports from Italian newspapers and an Italian government source.

The trip, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, comes amid strained relations following public criticisms by President Donald Trump of Pope Leo and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Rubio, a Catholic, is expected to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state. He also plans discussions with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. A meeting with Meloni remains possible, though the schedule is not yet finalized.

The visit follows Trump's social media attacks on Pope Leo in April. The pontiff, the first American pope who began his tenure on May 8, 2025, after the death of Pope Francis, has criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. On April 7, Leo called Trump's threat to destroy Iran "unacceptable" and urged U.S. lawmakers to "work for peace." Trump responded by labeling the pope "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," adding that he was "not a big fan of Pope...