Rubio and Pope Leo met at the Vatican to discuss the Middle East after weeks of tension

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo XIV met Thursday at the Vatican to discuss the situation in the Middle East and other issues, a meeting that came after weeks of tension between the American-born pope and President Trump.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. “The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their mutual commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.”

Rubio, a devout Catholic, also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In another review of that meeting, Pigott said the two discussed “cooperation and pressing international issues” and “efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.”

The meeting itself was not open to the press, although the Vatican released photographs of the two men. Rubio was inside the Apostolic Palace for two hours and 15 minutes, according to reporters who were with him.

The Vatican meetings come a few weeks after Mr. Trump insults Pope Leo, although things seem to have calmed down. On March 29 — Palm Sunday — Pope Leo wrote on social media, “This is our God: Jesus, the Lord of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who fight war, but he condemns it.”

In an episode of “60 Minutes” that aired on April 12, the cardinals discussed the pope’s criticism of Mr. war in Iran. Shortly after the episode aired that night, the president lambasted papa in a long post like “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

That night, Mr. Trump posted an AI-generated image on social media that appeared to show him in a Jesus-like pose healing a sick man in a hospital bed. After criticism, including from conservatives, Mr. Trump removed the photo and told reporters that he believed it showed him as a doctor.

The president’s criticism of the pope — and the pope’s cryptic comments in response — continued, though the president appeared to moderate his stance somewhat. But just before Rubio went to the Vatican this week, the president said of the pope when he told host Hugh Hewitt: “I think he’s putting a lot of Catholics and a lot of people at risk. But I think it’s up to the Pope. He thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, both Catholics, were asked to reconcile the president’s statements with their Catholic faith.

“Now we can disagree about whether this or that conflict is fair, but I think that in the same way that it is important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about public policy issues, I think it is very important, very important that the pope is careful when he talks about religious issues,” Vance said last month.