Rubio to meet Pope Leo after weeks of tensions with Trump

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived at the Vatican for a sit down with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday amid a historic period of tension between Washington and the Vatican.

Rubio’s visit follows President Donald Trump’s extraordinary criticisms of the first American pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history, which came after the pontiff expressed his opposition to the US military operation in Iran.

Leo has also continued to speak for the interests of refugees and migrants, in sharp contrast to the Trump administration.

Rubio’s plane touched down in Rome Thursday morning, also the eve of Leo’s first anniversary as pope. He is now in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, where the meeting is due to take place.