Pope Leo XIV received the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, this Thursday in the Vatican, in a meeting marked by the growing diplomatic tensions between the Holy See and the Donald Trump Administration. The meeting comes after several weeks of particularly harsh public statements from the US president against the Pontiff regarding Iran, nuclear disarmament, and various international conflicts.
Marco Rubio landed early in the morning in Rome and shortly after went to the Vatican to hold two bilateral meetings: first a private meeting with Leo XIV in the pontifical library and subsequently a meeting with his collaborators with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See.
Before traveling to Italy, Rubio tried to publicly downplay the tension by assuring that the trip simply responded to the normality of diplomatic relations between Washington and the Vatican and that similar meetings had already taken place with previous US Secretaries of State.
Trump Insists on Linking the Pope to Iran
In statements given on Wednesday to EWTN News Nightly, Donald Trump again claimed that Leo XIV “seems to be saying” that Iran should be able to obtain nuclear weapons, despite the fact that the Pontiff has never defended such a position.
“Iran cannot have nuclear weapons”, declared Trump.
The US president also assured that this was the main message he wanted to convey to the Pope through Marco Rubio.
“He seemed to be saying that they can get them, and I say they cannot, because if that happened, the entire world would be held hostage”, he stated.
Trump’s accusations have been repeated on several occasions over the last few weeks, although the Vatican has categorically denied that interpretation.
Leo XIV Has Publicly Condemned Nuclear Weapons
Far from supporting Iranian nuclear proliferation, Leo XIV has reiterated on various occasions his outright rejection of nuclear weapons and military escalation in the Middle East.
During an intervention on the conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, the Pontiff defended that building a world free from the nuclear threat must be sought through sincere dialogue and respectful encounter.
“The commitment to create a safer world, free from the nuclear threat, must be pursued through sincere dialogue and respectful encounter”, affirmed Leo XIV.
Months earlier, on March 5, the Pope had similarly declared:
“May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity”.
The Vatican Bets on Negotiation
The diplomatic crisis between the Holy See and the White House began to worsen on April 13, when Trump published a harsh message against Leo XIV accusing him of being “weak on crime” and “terrible in foreign policy”.
The Pope responded at that time by defending the spiritual mission of the Church and rejecting the interpretation of international politics from partisan categories.
“I am not afraid of either the Trump Administration or of proclaiming the message of the Gospel loudly”, he assured.
On the eve of the meeting with Rubio, Cardinal Pietro Parolin also addressed the US accusations and recalled that the Holy See has always worked for nuclear disarmament.
“The Holy See has always worked, and continues to work, in favor of nuclear disarmament”, affirmed the Vatican Secretary of State.
Parolin also confirmed that the initiative for the meeting came from the United States and anticipated that the tensions that have arisen in recent days would inevitably be addressed during the meeting.
Possible Direct Conversation Between Leo XIV and Trump
On the table of conversations are the war between Israel and Iran, the situation in Ukraine, the attacks on Lebanon, and the political crises in Cuba and Venezuela.
The Holy See maintains its traditional position favorable to the diplomatic resolution of conflicts.
“These conflicts cannot be resolved by force, but through sincere negotiations and in good faith”, reiterated Parolin.
One of the possible scenarios opened after the meeting is a direct telephone conversation between Leo XIV and Donald Trump to try to reduce the tensions.
As Parolin explained, the Pope is willing to dialogue with any political leader.
“The Holy Father is open to all options; he has never backed down from anyone”, noted the cardinal.