Rubio Denies Vatican Trip Aims to Mend Trump-Pope Tensions as Rhetoric Intensifies

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected suggestions that his upcoming Vatican visit is intended to ease strained relations between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, even as he appeared to reinforce the president’s controversial claims about the pontiff’s stance on Iran.

The diplomatic mission comes amid escalating tensions between President Trump and the Catholic leader, with Trump recently accusing the Pope of endangering Catholics through his peace advocacy during the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, now in its ninth week under a fragile ceasefire.

“The trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact it would be normal to engage with them,” Rubio told reporters at a White House briefing Tuesday. According to the State Department, his May 6-8 visit to Rome and the Vatican will focus on “the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere.”

However, when pressed about Trump’s inflammatory claims that the Pope supports Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, Rubio appeared to defend the president’s position while attempting to reframe his remarks.

“I think what the president basically said is Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it in places where there’s a lot of Catholics and Christians and others,” Rubio explained. “He doesn’t understand why anybody — leave aside the Pope — would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.”

The controversy stems from Trump’s recent appearance on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” where he claimed the Pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Trump added: “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people… He thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

These allegations represent a significant escalation in Trump’s ongoing feud with the pontiff, who has never advocated for Iranian nuclear armament despite Trump’s repeated assertions. The Pope has instead consistently called for peace and condemned violence from all parties in the conflict.

Pope Leo addressed the controversy directly on Tuesday, defending his position while speaking to reporters outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo.

“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,” he stated. “The Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.”

The tensions between Trump and the Vatican extend beyond rhetoric. Pope Leo has recently appointed three U.S. bishops who have previously criticized the Trump administration or its supporters, a move seen by some political analysts as signaling the Church’s independence from the administration’s policies.

The Pope has also specifically labeled Trump’s recent threat to “eliminate Iranian civilization” as “unacceptable,” putting the two leaders at direct odds over military strategy and diplomatic approaches to the conflict.

Rubio’s visit represents a critical diplomatic effort during a period of heightened tensions not only between the U.S. and Iran but also between the White House and one of the world’s most influential religious leaders. The outcome could have significant implications for U.S. relations with the Vatican and potentially influence Catholic voter sentiment as election season approaches.

Religious and foreign policy experts will be watching closely to see if Rubio’s diplomatic mission can foster any common ground between the administration and the Vatican, or whether it might further entrench the increasingly public disagreements between Trump and Pope Leo XIV.