Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a special gift to Pope Leo amid the ongoing tensions between the White House and the Vatican. He visited Italy in what observers see as an effort to ease tensions and strengthen relations between the U.S. and the Church. The move comes after Trump and Leo exchanged heated back-and-forth responses over the latter’s criticism of the president’s administration’s handling of the Iran war situation.
Pope Leo receives surprising gift from Marco Rubio
According to the Church, Pope Leo cordially met Marco Rubio and exchanged gifts following the recent tensions between the pontiff and Trump. Both parties were together for two hours, in what many see as an attempt to reconcile the bond between the Vatican and the US. It’s reported that Rubio gifted a crystal football emblazoned with the name of the State Department. Pope Leo reacted to the gift with “Wow, okay.” Rubio responded that he had no idea what to gift a person who has everything. He didn’t leave empty-handed, as the pope also gave him a surprising gift, i.e., a pen made from olive wood, describing it as a “plant of peace.”
The ongoing feud began when Pope Leo, during an evening prayer, shared his stance on the conflict. He appeared to aim at official and political leaders, who, in the name of religion, display power and commit crimes. Following this, Trump called him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.” After that, he also expressed that he did not want a pope who criticizes the president. Their back-and-forth criticism continued, with the latest one being the president claiming that the pope is “endangering a lot of Catholics” and is also “fine” with Iran having nuclear weapons.
Amid such a bold claim, Pope Leo addressed the media to debunk Trump’s speculations and clarify his stance on the war situation. He said, “Should anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth. For years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there’s no doubt about it. So I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s word.”
Originally written by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
