Marco Rubio meets with Pope Leo after Trump’s criticism over Iran war

Pope Leo XIVMarco Rubio meets with Pope Leo after Trump’s criticism over Iran warThe audience comes at a fraught time between Washington and the Holy See, after weeks of presidential criticism and outspoken responses from the first American pontiff.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Rubio arrived in Rome on Thursday for a two-day visit to Italy and the Vatican.Andrew Medichini / POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 7, 2026, 6:21 AM EDTBy Yuliya TalmazanSecretary of State Marco Rubio was set to meet with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, an audience that follows President Donald Trump’s criticism of the first American pontiff over the Iran war. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The closed-door meeting will be the first between the head of the Catholic Church and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.It comes at a fraught time between Washington and the Holy See, with relations at a low after weeks of presidential attacks on Leo and the Chicago-born pope’s outspoken responses. Asked by reporters Tuesday if he was going to the Vatican to “smooth things over with the Pope,” Rubio, a practicing Catholic, said the trip had been planned before and “obviously we had some stuff that happened.” He said there was “a lot to talk about” with the Vatican, including humanitarian aid for Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world. body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GooglePope Leo rejects Trump’s suggestion he supports Iran’s nuclear ambitions01:05The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told journalists Tuesday that the conversation between the pope and Rubio was likely to be “frank.”Rubio was also due to meet with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who strongly defended Leo and criti...