VATICAN CITY, Vatican – Pope Leo XIV will meet United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, weeks after United States President Donald Trump directed serious criticism toward the pontiff.
Okay News reports that the Vatican published a calendar on its media site on Monday confirming the private visit will take place at 11:30 am (0930 GMT).
A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the meeting is an attempt to “thaw” relations between the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and the United States government. Rubio will also meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani while in Rome, Italy.
An Italian government source said Rubio requested a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The source added that Trump turned against Meloni after she defended the pope against recent criticisms. Leo recently issued a critique of the actions taken by the Trump administration regarding international conflicts.
Trump responded with a critique of the pope, calling him a “man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime” and accusing Leo of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon” in a reference to Iran. Trump subsequently posted an artificially generated image appearing to depict himself as Jesus Christ.
The Thursday visit marks the second time the pope and Rubio have met. The secretary of state was previously received at the Vatican alongside United States Vice President JD Vance in May 2025, shortly after Leo was elected.
