Relations between the United States and the Vatican are at a low point over President Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, who is a leading critic of the war in Iran.
May 7, 2026 at 2:57 a.m. EDTToday at 2:57 a.m. EDT
Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a news briefing on May 5. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)
ROME — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Thursday with Pope Leo XIV with relations between the Vatican and the White House at a low point over President Donald Trump’s repeated, direct criticism of the U.S.-born pontiff who has emerged as a leading global critic of the war in Iran and of the administration’s invocation of God in pursuing military action that has resulted in the deaths of thousands.
