Secretary of State Marco is headed on a less-than-relaxing Roman holiday as he tries to smooth over a White House squabble with the Holy See that has not played well with the American public.
The secretary of state will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to meet with Pope Leo XIV since he became a target of President Donald Trump’s ire for repeatedly speaking out against the war in Iran.
The president has variously described the pontiff as “terrible” and “weak on crime” after the Holy Father urged American citizens to convey their desire for peace to their elected representatives.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that 66% of Americans supported the pope advocating that citizens contact lawmakers and press for peace, compared to 30% who disapproved.
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The same poll found 57% of Americans felt negatively about Trump’s remark that he doesn’t “want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Despite backlash among his base, the president has not backed down from his critical position toward the Holy See. He asserted in a Monday interview that Leo “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.”
Trump added: “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.”
Leo took issue with that characterization, telling reporters outside Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday that “should anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth.”
He continued: “For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there’s no doubt about it, there. So, I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s word.”
Rubio, a cradle Catholic, has claimed that this week’s meeting is not the diplomatic de-escalation mission it might appear to be.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Rubio called it a “trip we had planned from before” and insisted “there’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican” outside the White House’s feud with the Holy See.
“We have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world,” he offered as an example. “Cuba — you know, we gave Cuba $6 million in humanitarian aid, but obviously, they won’t let us distribute it. We distributed it through the Church. We’d love to do more.”
Regarding Trump’s comment that the pope is “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the conflict in Iran, Rubio tried to reframe the complaint as bafflement that anyone would be OK with the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Rubio will be making an additional stop to chat with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, another world leader who has butted heads with Trump in recent weeks. And the U.S. seems to have much more leverage for bringing Italy to heel than the Holy See.
Meloni, who was already frustrated by spiking energy costs caused by U.S. operations in Iran, was dragged into a public disagreement with Trump after the president began lambasting the pope for his opposition to Operation Epic Fury.
Her country’s refusal to allow the U.S. access to military bases in relation to the Iranian conflict ultimately led Trump to say he was “wrong” to have thought his former ally had “courage.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani tried to smooth over the scuffle, explaining that while the Italians remain “staunch supporters of Western unity and steadfast allies of the United States,” this cooperation must be “built on mutual loyalty, respect, and frankness.” But relations have not thawed.
Meloni, joined by Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, is expected to play nice with Rubio after Trump threatened last week to hike tariffs on cars and trucks coming into the U.S. from the European Union.
“The Tariff will be increased to 25%,” he warned, “based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal.”
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Meloni has also been spooked by Trump’s drawdown of U.S. troops in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian regime is “humiliating” America by keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.
The president announced the withdrawal of 5,000 personnel from Germany and suggested more drawdowns may be forthcoming.
Asked whether he would consider pulling troops from Spain and Italy, Trump responded: “Yeah, probably. … Why shouldn’t I?” He added that “Italy has not been of any help to us.”
Meloni told reporters on Monday that reducing troops in Italy is a “decision that doesn’t depend on me” but is one that she “personally would not agree with.”
“Italy has always fulfilled its obligations, always doing so within the framework of NATO, even when our direct interests were not at stake, as in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Meloni explained. “I do not consider some of the things that were said about us to be correct.”
She added that leaders “must work to strengthen NATO’s European pillar, which must clearly complement the American one.”
The combination of tariffs and military support gives Rubio much more leverage with the Italian government than he will have speaking with the pope.
