Rubio Meets Pope, Mends US-Italy Ties

0:00On May 3rd, Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Italy this week for a key sit-down with Pope Leo on Thursday. It's the first face-to-face between the Pope and a U.S. cabinet member in almost a year, coming right as President Trump's social media jabs at the Pontiff's stir up heat from all sides. Pope Leo, the first American Pope, has ramped up his voice lately, slamming the U.S. Israel war against Iran and Trump's tough stance on immigration. Not fired back hard in April, even calling him terrible while Leo was touring Africa. These attacks drew flack across the political board, spotlighting tensions between the White House and the Vatican. Rubio last linked up with Leo in May 2025, alongside Vice President JD Vance at the Pope's inaugural mass and a private chat. On top of the papal me, Rubio's itinerary includes talks with Vatican diplomat Pietro Peralain and Italy's foreign and defense ministers to smooth. For recent U.S. Italy friction, after Trump-Bass Prime Minister Georgia Maloney, it's unclear

1:03if he'll see her too. All this as the Pentagon pulls 5,000 troops from Germany amid Iran war rifts and tradespats. Italy hosts nearly 13,000 U.S. troops across six bases, so Rubio's trip could signal efforts to steady alliances on both faith and foreign. Fronts as Leo hits his one-year mark Friday. You've been listening to U.S. News today, AI-powered national coverage.