The United States Department of State spokesperson announced on Monday (May 4) that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome from Wednesday to Friday to advance relationships with Italy and the Vatican.
According to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio will meet with Vatican leadership to discuss the Middle East situation and common interests in the Western Hemisphere. His discussions with Italian officials will focus on shared security interests and strategic cooperation.
Media reports indicate that Rubio is expected to meet with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
A source revealed to Reuters on Sunday that Rubio’s meeting with Pope Leo is scheduled for Thursday. This would be the first known face-to-face contact between a U.S. cabinet official and Pope Leo in nearly a year.
Pope Leo is the first American pope. Last May, Rubio attended the inauguration Mass of the new pope with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at St. Peter’s Square and later had a meeting with him.
Italian media has described Rubio’s visit as a “breakthrough.” Pope Leo has recently publicly criticized U.S.-led military strikes against Iran and had previously criticized the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies.
In response, in April, Trump harshly criticized the Catholic leader’s remarks, calling Leo “soft on crime, soft on nuclear weapons” and a “disaster for foreign policy.” Leo had previously written on X platform that “God does not bless any conflicts.”
Trump has also expressed dissatisfaction with Italy’s criticism of U.S. actions against Iran and last week hinted at the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from this NATO ally.