Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican amid tensions over Trump's criticism of the pope

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday for approximately 2.5 hours, followed by a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The visit comes after President Trump repeatedly attacked Pope Leo on social media over the pope's criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Trump's immigration policies. The State Department stated the meetings underscored the strong relationship between the U.S. and the Holy See and covered Middle East peace efforts and Western Hemisphere humanitarian issues.