06.30 EDT US Rubio to have 'frank conversation' with Pope Leo after public clash with Trump on Iran war
US secretary of state Marco Rubio expects a “frank” meeting with Pope Leo during a visit to the Vatican this week, the US ambassador said, after president Donald Trump took a fresh pot-shot at the pope for criticising the US war in Iran.
Pope Leo XIV meets US VP JD Vance and US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the Vatican in May last year. Photograph: Simone Risoluti/Reuters
“Nations have disagreements, and I think one of the ways that you work through those is ... through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” said Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, in comments reported by Reuters.
“I think the secretary is coming here in that spirit,” Burch told journalists. “To have a frank conversation about US policy, to engage in dialogue.”
Reuters noted that Trump has repeatedly disparaged the first U.S.-born pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
Rubio is a Catholic, as is Vice President JD Vance. The two met Leo a year ago after attending his inaugural mass, the Trump administration’s only previous known cabinet-level meetings with the pope, the agency said.