US President Donald Trump is reportedly sending Marco Rubio to Italy for meetings with Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Secretary of State is expected to fly out on Thursday, May 7, for the two-day visit.
Donald Trump to send Marco Rubio for Pope meeting
According to The New York Times, the State Department has stated that Marco Rubio would meet with the “Holy See leadership” and “Italian counterparts.” He will reportedly travel to Vatican City to meet Pope Leo before holding talks with Giorgia Meloni the following day.
Rubio had previously met Pope Leo during his May 2025 visit to the pontiff’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square, alongside Vice President JD Vance. However, reports indicate that Vance will not accompany the Secretary of State on the upcoming visit to the Vatican.
Rubio’s two-day visit to Italy comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican City following Donald Trump’s criticism of the pope. In an April 13 Truth Social post, the president called Pope Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” He added, “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
The pope also condemned Trump’s statement that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not meet his deadline and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling the remark “truly unacceptable.” Italian President Giorgia Meloni criticized Trump as well, stating, “The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he calls for peace and condemns every form of war.”
Rubio’s upcoming visit to Italy and Vatican City aims to ease diplomatic tension between the nations. The Holy See Press Office has confirmed the meeting, which will take place in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace (via Vatican News).
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh for Mandatory.
