U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Rome to bolster America’s relationship with the Vatican, following President Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic leader’s calls for peace amid the U.S.-Iran War. The Vatican confirmed that Rubio, a Catholic, and the pontiff met on Thursday but did not disclose details of the meeting. U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Piggot also confirmed that Rubio and the pope met, sharing that the two discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere. The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.

According to a report from Reuters, the meeting between Rubio and Leo ran longer than expected, but the American diplomacy chief also met with his Vatican counterpart, Secretariat of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See shared photos of Rubio meeting with the pope and said that the two discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” as well as “shared priorities.”

Prior to visiting the Vatican, Rubio said that he expected to discuss the communist dictatorship in Cuba, which has been besieged by U.S. sanctions, particularly those barring the delivery of oil. “We’re willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba,” Rubio said Tuesday, “distributed through the Church, but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it.” He added, “They won’t allow us to give their own people more humanitarian aid, and we’re willing to do it through the Church.” The Vatican has warned that while the sanctions are intended to target Cuba’s oppressive regime, they risk significant and lasting harm to the Cuban people.

Rubio’s visit to the Vatican comes amid worsening tension between Trump and Leo, with the president frequently criticizing the pontiff’s calls for peace during the war with Iran. Addressing the tension in a press conference this week, Rubio said that his meeting with the pope had already been scheduled and was not intended to “smooth things over” with the head of the Catholic Church. “It’s a trip we had planned from before,” he said. “The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them and other secretaries of state have done that in the past.” He also suggested that the president did not intend to be antagonistic towards the pope with his previous comments.

In keeping with longstanding Catholic moral teaching and the Catholic Church’s general prohibition against war, Leo urged caution and repeatedly called for peace after the conflict with Iran began late in February. Trump responded with a lengthy social media post criticizing the pontiff. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president said. “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” he continued. “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do…”

“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump claimed in his April 13 Truth Social post. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”

The leader of the Catholic Church also expressed alarm at Trump’s April threat to destroy the “whole civilization” of Iran if particular deadlines were not met regarding nuclear negotiations. The pope warned that attacks on civilians violate international law and are “a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of.” He added, “We all want to work for peace. People want peace. I would invite citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.”

Trump doubled down on his criticism in a radio interview Monday, just days before Rubio was slated to meet the pope. “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think that’s very good. I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people, but I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump claimed. He repeated the point in an interview with Catholic news outlet EWTN. “Well, I can tell you this, that as far as the pope is concerned, it?s very simple, whether I make him happy or I don?t make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” the president said. “And he seemed to be saying that they can, and I say they cannot because if that happened, the entire world would be hostage, and we?re not going to let that happen. That’s my only message.”

Pope Leo XIV responded to Trump’s claims on Tuesday, reiterating the Catholic Church’s position opposing the use or possession of nuclear weapons. “The Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there. And so I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s words,” the pontiff said. “I have already spoken from the very first moment of being elected, and now we are close to the anniversary. I said, ‘Peace be with you,’ and the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace. If someone wants to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully.”

A recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that Americans are generally not happy with the president’s comments targeting the pope. Nearly 60% of voters said that they disapprove Trump’s comment, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” and nearly 80% said that they disapprove of the president’s threat to end Iran’s “whole civilization.” By contrast, two-thirds (66%) said that they approved of the pope’s call for Americans to support peace and contact their legislators, and 41% said that they have a favorable view of Leo overall, compared to 43% who said that they have “no opinion” and only 16% who said that they disapprove. Among American Catholics, the first American pope holds a 61% approval rating.