{"id":2599635,"date":"2026-05-06T18:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T22:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-heads-to-rome-amid-trumps-unpopular-feud-with-pope-leo\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T18:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T22:12:12","slug":"rubio-heads-to-rome-amid-trumps-unpopular-feud-with-pope-leo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-heads-to-rome-amid-trumps-unpopular-feud-with-pope-leo\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubio heads to Rome amid Trump&#8217;s unpopular feud with Pope Leo"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frubio-heads-to-rome-amid-trumps-unpopular-feud-with-pope-leo%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2599635&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Pope Leo XIV in rome, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to do so since the start of the Trump administration. The trip comes <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >amid heightened tensions<\/a> between President Donald Trump and the holy See, after Trump criticized the pope for urging Americans to seek peace and for opposing Iran\u2019s pursuit of nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<p>A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that most Americans support the pope\u2019s message to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-governor-says-public-education-in-state-of-emergency-after-gop-reforms\/\" title=\"NC Governor declares public education in a ... of emergency due to GOP reforms.\">contact lawmakers<\/a> about peace, tho a majority also viewed Trump\u2019s remark about \u201cnot wanting a Pope\u201d who accepts Iran having a nuclear weapon negatively.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio argues the Vatican visit is not just meant to cool conflicts from the White House, saying it was planned in advance and that there are other issues to discuss, including concerns about religious freedom. He referenced U.S. humanitarian efforts in Cuba carried out through the Church.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio will also stop in Italy to meet Prime Minister Giorgia meloni, who has similarly clashed with Trump recently over Iran-related cooperation, tariff warnings, and Trump\u2019s troop drawdowns in Europe. The article notes that Rubio is likely to have greater leverage with Italy-through trade and defense-than with the Holy See.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Secretary of State Marco<\/a> is headed on a less-than-relaxing Roman holiday as he tries to smooth over a White House squabble with the Holy See that has not played well with the American public.<\/p>\n<p>The secretary of state will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4553618\/rubio-visit-vatican-trump-pope-leo-spat\/\">meet with Pope Leo XIV<\/a> since he became a target of President Donald Trump\u2019s ire for repeatedly speaking out against the war in Iran.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4557141\/friedrich-merz-german-chancellor-unpopular-polling\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Merz ends first year as most unpopular German chancellor in post-war history<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4557258\/trump-deadline-iran-war-peace-deal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump claims there is no deadline on peace deal to end Iran war<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4556961\/north-korea-drop-reunification-goal-constitution\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>North Korea drops reunification goal from constitution after 70 years<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The president has variously described the pontiff as \u201cterrible\u201d and \u201cweak on crime\u201d after the Holy Father urged American citizens to convey their desire for peace to their elected representatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/sites\/default\/files\/ct\/news\/documents\/2026-05\/ABC%20News-Washington%20Post-Ipsos%20April%20Poll%20Topline%205.6%20release.pdf\">Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll<\/a> released Wednesday found that 66% of Americans supported the pope advocating that citizens contact lawmakers and press for peace, compared to 30% who disapproved.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4556314\/marco-rubio-schools-white-house-press-corps\/\"><strong>MARCO RUBIO SCHOOLS MISBEHAVING WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS WITH MASTER CLASS IN WIT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Pontifical Swiss Guards in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andrew Medichini)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The same poll found 57% of Americans felt negatively about Trump\u2019s remark that he doesn\u2019t \u201cwant a Pope who thinks it\u2019s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Despite backlash among his base, the president has not backed down from his critical position toward the Holy See. He asserted in a Monday interview that Leo \u201cwould rather talk about the fact that it\u2019s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s very good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump added: \u201cI think he\u2019s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. \u2026 But I guess if it\u2019s up to the Pope, he thinks it\u2019s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leo took issue with that characterization, telling reporters outside Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday that \u201cshould anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued: \u201cFor years, the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there\u2019s no doubt about it, there. So, I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God\u2019s word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rubio, a cradle Catholic, has claimed that this week\u2019s meeting is not the diplomatic de-escalation mission it might appear to be.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4556147\/cuba-china-pope-takeaways-marco-rubio-raucous-press-conference\/\">Speaking at the White House<\/a> on Tuesday, Rubio called it a \u201ctrip we had planned from before\u201d and insisted \u201cthere\u2019s a lot to talk about with the Vatican\u201d outside the White House\u2019s feud with the Holy See.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world,\u201d he offered as an example. \u201cCuba \u2014 you know, we gave Cuba $6 million in humanitarian aid, but obviously, they won\u2019t let us distribute it. We distributed it through the Church. We\u2019d love to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Trump\u2019s comment that the pope is \u201cendangering a lot of Catholics\u201d\u00a0by opposing the conflict in Iran, Rubio tried to reframe <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4534825\/vance-pope-leo-trump-feud\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4534825\/vance-pope-leo-trump-feud\/\">the\u00a0complaint<\/a> as bafflement that anyone would be OK with the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media during a meeting with President of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rubio will be making an additional stop to chat with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, another world leader who has butted heads with Trump in recent weeks. And the U.S. seems to have much more leverage for bringing Italy to heel than the Holy See.<\/p>\n<p>Meloni, who was already frustrated by spiking energy costs caused by U.S. operations in Iran, was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4528041\/meloni-support-pope-leo-trump-feud-unacceptable\/\">dragged into a public disagreement<\/a> with Trump after the president began lambasting the pope for his opposition to Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n<p>Her country\u2019s refusal to allow the U.S. access to military bases in relation to the Iranian conflict ultimately led Trump to say he was \u201cwrong\u201d to have thought his former ally had \u201ccourage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani tried to smooth over the scuffle, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Antonio_Tajani\/status\/2044064197521104905\">explaining<\/a> that while the Italians remain \u201cstaunch supporters of Western unity and steadfast allies of the United States,\u201d this cooperation must be \u201cbuilt on mutual loyalty, respect, and frankness.\u201d But relations have not thawed.<\/p>\n<p>Meloni, joined by Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, is expected to play nice with Rubio after Trump threatened last week to hike tariffs on cars and trucks coming into the U.S. from the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Tariff will be increased to 25%,\u201d he warned, \u201cbased on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4534825\/vance-pope-leo-trump-feud\/\">VANCE \u2018GRATEFUL\u2019 TO POPE LEO FOR CLEARING UP FEUD WITH TRUMP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meloni has also been spooked by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4554419\/trump-europe-troops-nato-germany\/\">Trump\u2019s drawdown of U.S. troops<\/a> in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Iranian regime is \u201chumiliating\u201d America by keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/update-washington-d-c-mayor-muriel-bowser-was-warned-but-refused-any-additional-help-before-january-6th-vote-on-stolen-election\/\" title=\"UPDATE: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Was ...ned but Refused Any Additional Help Before January 6th Vote on Stolen Election\">president announced<\/a> the withdrawal of 5,000 personnel from Germany and suggested more drawdowns may be forthcoming.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio, from left, Vice President JD Vance, Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greet each other as they arrive for a meeting at the Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked whether he would consider pulling troops from Spain and Italy, Trump responded: \u201cYeah, probably. \u2026 Why shouldn\u2019t I?\u201d He added that \u201cItaly has not been of any help to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meloni told reporters on Monday that reducing troops in Italy is a \u201cdecision that doesn\u2019t depend on me\u201d but is one that she \u201cpersonally would not agree with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cItaly has always fulfilled its obligations, always doing so within the framework of NATO, even when our direct interests were not at stake, as in Afghanistan and Iraq,\u201d Meloni explained. \u201cI do not consider some of the things that were said about us to be correct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that leaders \u201cmust work to strengthen NATO\u2019s European pillar, which must clearly complement the American one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The combination of tariffs and military support gives Rubio much more leverage with the Italian government than he will have speaking with the pope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Secretary of State Marco heads to Rome to smooth Holy See tensions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2599636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25137440592770.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32319,34360,55381,21347,9367],"class_list":["post-2599635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-donald-trump","tag-marco-rubio","tag-pope-leo","tag-rome","tag-vatican"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25137440592770.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2599635"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599639,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599635\/revisions\/2599639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}