US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Rome and the Vatican later this week in a remarkable visit that comes just weeks after conflict flared between Donald Trump and Pope Leo, according to Arab News.
Significant Visit
An Italian government source said that Rubio, who is a Catholic, would meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
During the Thursday-Friday visit, Rubio is also expected to meet Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
Recent Tensions
The upcoming meetings came on the heels of Trump’s extraordinary critique of Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s anti-war rhetoric.
At that time, Trump also criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his closest European allies, accusing her of lacking courage after she defended the US-born pontiff.
On April 7, Pope Leo XIV dismissed Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “unacceptable,” while urging Americans to press their lawmakers to “work for peace.”
In response, the US President lashed out at Pope Leo XIV in a social media post, branding him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
Moreover, Trump noted that he was “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV, adding that he did not “want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Meloni labeled Trump’s remarks as “unacceptable,” prompting the US President to turn his fire on her.
“I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” the US president said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
He further accused her of falling short in supporting the United States within NATO.
He also threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy, saying Rome “has not been of any help to us” in the Iran war.
War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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