Overview
- Marco Rubio arrived in Rome on Thursday for talks at the Vatican, as Cardinal Pietro Parolin called Trump's allegations 'strange' and signaled openness to dialogue.
- Trump said Tuesday in a radio interview that the Pope 'finds it in order' for Iran to have a nuclear weapon and that this endangers many Catholics.
- Pope Leo XIV rejected the claim, saying the Church has opposed all nuclear weapons for years and that his charge is to preach the Gospel and peace.
- Italy backed the Pope, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani calling the U.S. attacks unacceptable and unhelpful for peace after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also criticized Trump.
- Officials describe Rubio’s meetings as an effort to steady ties while discussing the Gulf region, religious freedom, and Cuba, with no Trump–Pope call or meeting planned.