The State Department

RUBIO IN ROME: Trump’s Top Diplomat Visits Vatican as Trump, Pope Leo Clash Over Iran

posted by Hannity Staff - 5.07.26

A diplomatic visit to the Vatican quickly turned into a high-profile test of the growing divide between President Donald Trump and the first American-born pope.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off a two-day visit to Vatican City and Italy on Thursday by meeting Pope Leo XIV, just days after President Trump publicly accused the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”

Rubio, a practicing Catholic, met separately with Leo and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin during talks that lasted roughly two-and-a-half hours.

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State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio and the pope discussed the rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East, along with “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.”

“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” Pigott said.

But the diplomatic niceties came amid an increasingly public clash between Trump and the Vatican.

Leo has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda and has also voiced concern over the ongoing war with Iran and the broader threat of escalating military conflict.

Trump fired back last month, branding the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Then this week, the president escalated further during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

“The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said Monday. “And I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”

The Vatican has pushed back hard on that characterization.

Leo insisted Tuesday that the church’s position is rooted in longstanding Christian teaching, not partisan politics.

“The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth,” the pope told reporters.

Trump had a message for the Pope on Wednesday, ahead of Rubio’s meet.

“It’s very simple. Whether I make him happy or I don’t make him happy: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “He seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot, because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage. And we’re not going to let that happen. That’s my only message.”

Watch the clip below:

More over at The New York Post: