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Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pope Leão XIV in the Vatican on Thursday in a closed-door session expected to last about 30 minutes.
- Rubio’s trip follows Trump’s claim on Wednesday that the pope would accept Iran getting a nuclear weapon, a charge Trump repeated after weeks of public criticism.
- Pope Leão XIV rejected that view and said the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel and peace, while Cardinal Pietro Parolin affirmed the Vatican’s long-standing opposition to nuclear arms.
- Rubio is also meeting Parolin and senior Italian officials to steady ties after Trump criticized Italy over Iran and as both governments review cooperation on NATO and U.S. bases in the country.
- Analysts say the clash risks pushing away Republican Catholic voters, a sizable bloc that news reports estimate at about one-fifth of the party’s electorate.