Rubio and Pope Leo meet at the Vatican after weeks of tension

Politics Rubio and Pope Leo meet at the Vatican to discuss Middle East after weeks of tension By Kathryn Watson, Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson, Caroline Linton Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full Bio Caroline Linton May 7, 2026 / 9:36 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo XIV met Thursday at the Vatican to discuss the situation in the Middle East and other matters, a meeting that came after weeks of tension between the American-born pontiff and President Trump."Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. "The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity." Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  Vatican Rubio, who is a devout Catholic, also met with Vatican Secretary of Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In a separate readout of that meeting, Pigott said the pair discussed "mutual cooperation and pressing international issues" and "efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East." The Vatican meetings come after weeks of Mr. Trump lobbing insults at Pope Leo, a feud that escalated after a "60 Minutes" story highlighted the pontiff's criticism of the war in Iran. .component--type-recirculation { .item:nth-child(7), .card-recirc:nth-child(7) { display: none; } } #inline-recirc-item--id-3e5b39d4-b5dd-4349-89df-8413be692499, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-3e5b39d4-b5dd-4349-89df-8413be692499 { display...