Rubio meets Pope Leo at the Vatican to discuss Iran’s nuclear standoff amid US talks
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican for “constructive” talks Thursday following tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo over the US-Iran conflict.
“The discussions today were friendly and constructive,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital.
Rubio, who is Catholic, held a private meeting with the pope to confirm relations between the Vatican and the US early Thursday. Trump said he sent Rubio to deliver what he described as a “very simple” message: Iran must not get 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 press release.
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Rubio, who is Catholic, held a private meeting with the pope marking the Trump administration’s first interaction with the pope in over a year. (Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
The meeting marked the first interaction between the Trump administration and the pope in over a year following tensions.
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The pope has criticized the war with Iran for framing the conflict as a moral issue, warning that rhetoric against the Iranian people crosses a dangerous line.
“The discussions today were friendly and constructive,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital. (Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“There has also been this threat against all the people of Iran, and this is absolutely unacceptable,” the pope said in April. “Of course there are issues of international law here, but more so it’s a moral issue for the benefit of the entire population.”
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These words seem to refer to one of Trump’s Truth Social posts, where he wrote, “The whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back. I don’t want that to happen, but maybe it will happen … God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
Episode Marco Rubio meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican (Photo by Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Trump took a more aggressive approach to his message with Iran and told reporters on Wednesday that he had one message for the pope.
“I can tell you this, that as far as the Pope is concerned, and it is very simple. Whether I please him or not, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And he seemed to say that they can. And I say they cannot, because if that happened, the whole world would be hostages. And we will not allow that to happen,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is welcomed by the new Prefect of the Papal Household Archbishop Petar Rajic as he arrives in the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican before a private audience with Pope Leo XIV on May 7, 2026. (Andrew Medichini / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
After his meeting with the pope, Rubio met with the Holy See’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss shared priorities regarding the conflict with Iran.
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“They reviewed ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. This discussion demonstrated the continued cooperation between the United States and the Holy See in promoting religious freedom,” Pigott said in the reading.
Rubio will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni on Friday.
