Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, in keeping with the Vatican, in a visit that may happen amid tensions between Washington, Rome and the Vatican.
Mr. Rubio can even meet individually with Antonio Tajani, the Italian overseas minister, and presumably with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in keeping with two Italian officers who spoke on the situation of anonymity to talk freely about delicate diplomacy. The Italian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Rome declined to touch upon the go to.
Mr. Rubio’s assembly, which was introduced by the Vatican on Monday, will come after President Trump repeatedly denounced Pope Leo XIV for criticizing American assaults on Iran after which turned on Ms. Melonias soon as one in every of Mr. Trump’s staunchest allies in Europe, for standing by the pontiff.
Tensions between Mr. Trump and Leo, who was elected to the papacy practically a 12 months in the past, started to rise in March, after the pope spoke out in opposition to the struggle in Iran. Leo then criticized individuals who use Christian educating to advertise struggle, in what was interpreted as a condemnation of Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth’s repeated use of Christian language to justify the assaults.
The tensions advanced right into a direct conflict between the president and the pontiff in April, when Mr. Trump attacked the pope on social media, accusing Leo of being “weak on crime” and “catering to the Radical Left.”
Then Leo, who had often averted mentioning Mr. Trump’s title throughout his earlier feedback, responded immediately.
Talking to reporters initially of a 10-day tour to four African nationsLeo stated: “I’ve no concern, neither of the Trump administration, nor of talking out loudly concerning the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I imagine I’m known as right here to do.”
The pope’s subsequent speeches on the journey, which condemned authoritarian management with out naming any specific chief, had been then widely interpreted as further criticism of the Trump administration.
Although Leo subsequently rejected such an interpretation, Mr. Trump and different American officers continued to lash out on the pope.
Ms. Meloni, who had already distanced herself from Mr. Trump over the Iran struggle, then got here to Leo’s protection, saying, “I discover President Trump’s remarks concerning the Holy Father unacceptable.”
Mr. Trump took goal at Ms. Meloni, saying in an interview with an Italian newspaper that he was “shocked by her,” including, “I believed she was courageous, however I used to be fallacious.”
Final week, Ms. Meloni stated she had not spoken to Mr. Trump since their spat however that Italy’s relationship with the US remained “solid.”
