VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio jointly committed at a meeting on Thursday to improving relations between the Vatican and Washington, at a time when President Donald Trumphas repeatedly attacked the pontiff.
Leo and Rubio “renewed the shared commitment to fostering 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 an atmosphere of tension with Washington.
Leo, the first US pope, drew Trump’s ire after becoming a firm critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies.
Trump has kept up an unprecedented series of public attacks on the pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
Rubio’s meeting with Leo is a sign of a “strong” relationship between the Vatican and the US, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Rubio spent 2-1/2 hours at the Vatican before driving away in a convoy under tight security. He also met with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The US embassy to the Holy See said on X that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere”.
The Vatican statement said the two had “exchanged views” on the world situation and spoke about “the need to work tirelessly in favour of peace.”
The meeting appeared to have run longer than planned. The pope arrived 40 minutes late for a subsequent meeting with Vatican staffers and thanked them for being patient.
Vatican video from the beginning of the closed-door encounter showed Leo shaking hands with his guest and addressing him formally as “Mr. Secretary”, to which Rubio, a Catholic, responded: “Great to see you.”
Rubio was also seen giving the pope a small crystal football. He joked that he knew that Leo, originally from Chicago and known as a fan of the White Sox, was more of a “baseball guy”.
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