Catholic leader Pope Leo XIV and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio were scheduled for a “candid” meeting on Thursday.
The agenda of the meeting was to improve relations between the Vatican and Washington, at a time when President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff.
Leo and Rubio “renewed their shared commitment to promoting good bilateral relations,” the Vatican said in a statement after the first meeting between the Pope and a Trump Cabinet official in nearly a year, amid a climate of tensions with Washington.
Pope Leo and Rubio exchange symbolic gifts to improve ties at Vatican meeting
Rubio was also seen giving the Pope a small “crystal football.”
He joked that he knew Leo, who is originally from Chicago and known as a White Sox fan, was a “baseball guy.”
While Pope Leo XIV gave Rubio a small “pen” made of the wood of an olive tree, which he called “the plant of peace”.
Rubio said at a White House briefing on Tuesday that he expected to discuss with Leo concerns over religious freedom in Cuba and around the world.
Brian Burch, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, also said Tuesday that conversations between the Pope and Rubio were likely to be “candid.”
In his public criticism of the Pope, Trump on Monday falsely suggested that Leo believes it is OK for Iran to get nuclear weapons and that he is “putting a lot of Catholics in danger” by opposing war.
After the latest attack, Leo told reporters that he was spreading the Christian message of peace. The Pope also strongly rejected the idea that he supported nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church considers immoral.
As Rubio arrived at the Vatican on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving a meeting with Leo.
“It is still possible that the world will not descend into chaos if good people, people of goodwill, find each other and work in unity,” Tusk said, speaking in Polish.
He told reporters that he and the Pope discussed how to strengthen international cooperation and create hope in the world.
Singh-Rubio meeting, indication of strong relationship:
Leo, the first American Pope, had come under Trump’s wrath after becoming a staunch critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s radical anti-immigration policies.
Trump has continued an unprecedented series of public attacks on the Pope in recent weeks, drawing sharp reactions from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio’s meeting with Leo was a sign of the “strong” relationship between the Vatican and the United States.
Rubio spent more than 2 hours in the Vatican amid tight security. He also met with top diplomat and senior Vatican officials, including Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The US Embassy to the Holy See said on Friday that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere”.
The Vatican statement said the two “exchanged views” on the world situation and talked about “the need to make tireless efforts in favor of peace.”
It appeared that the meeting lasted longer than planned. The Pope arrived 40 minutes late for the next meeting with Vatican staff and thanked them for their patience.
Vatican video of the beginning of the closed-door meeting showed Leo shaking his guest’s hand and formally addressing him as “Mr. Secretary,” to which Rubio, a Catholic, responded, “It’s great to see you.”
