On Monday, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7.
The meeting follows a period of tension between the Holy See and U.S. President Donald Trump. In April, Trump publicly attacked the pontiff on social media, calling him "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy" in response to the pontiff's appeals for peace amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Rubio "will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere," State Department spokesman Thomas "Tommy" Pigott said in a May 4 statement. Rubio's meetings with Italian counterparts May 6–8 will be focused on security interests and strategic alignment, the statement said.
Leo XIV has called repeatedly for a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in the Middle East. In April, he described Trump's threats against Iranian civilization as "not acceptable."
Trump criticized Leo, stating that he did not "want a pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon." Leo responded that he had "no fear of the Trump administration" but a few days later said he had no interest in debating the president.
As originally reported by Vatican News, Rubio will meet the pope at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. It will be their second meeting, following their previous meeting after the pope's Mass of installation on May 18, 2025. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was also in attendance at that meeting.
Also on the morning of May 7, Leo will meet with the prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, at 9 a.m.
This story was updated at 2:25 p.m. ET on May 4, 2026, to include a statement from the U.S. State Department.
