The Holy See Press Office confirmed that the pontiff will meet with the U.S. secretary of state on May 7.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7.<\/p>\n
The meeting follows a period of tension between the Holy See and U.S. President Donald Trump. In April, Trump publicly attacked the pontiff on social media, calling him \u201cweak on crime and terrible for foreign policy\u201d in response to the pontiff\u02bcs appeals for peace amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.<\/p>\n
Rubio \u201cwill meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere,\u201d State Department spokesman Thomas \u201cTommy\u201d Pigott said in a May 4 statement. Rubio\u02bcs meetings with Italian counterparts May 6\u20138 will be focused on security interests and strategic alignment, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV has called repeatedly for a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in the Middle East. In April, he described Trump\u02bcs threats against Iranian civilization as “not acceptable.”<\/p>\n
Trump criticized Leo, stating that he did not \u201cwant a pope who thinks it\u02bcs OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.\u201d Leo responded that he had \u201cno fear of the Trump administration\u201d but a few days later said he had no interest in debating the president.<\/p>\n
As originally reported by Vatican News, Rubio will meet the pope at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. It will be their second meeting, following their previous meeting after the pope\u02bcs Mass of installation on May 18, 2025. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was also in attendance at that meeting.<\/p>\n
Also on the morning of May 7, Leo will meet with the prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
This story was updated at 2:25 p.m. ET on May 4, 2026, to include a statement from the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n