Rubio to visit Vatican after Trump’s potshots at Pope
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expects a “cordial” meeting with Pope Leo during his visit to the Vatican after President Donald Trump dealt the pope another blow for criticizing the US-Israeli war against Iran.
US Ambassador to the Vatican Brian Burch said Rubio and the Pope will have “cordial” talks on Thursday.
“There are disagreements between nations, and I think one of the ways to overcome them is through brotherhood and authentic dialogue,” Burch said.
He said Rubio and the Pope “will have a frank conversation about U.S. policy to engage in dialogue.”
Later in Washington, Rubio told reporters at the White House that he expected a discussion with Pope Leo on issues that would include Cuba and concerns about religious freedoms around the world.
“There is a lot to talk about with the Vatican,” Rubio said.
“The Pope is clearly the vicar of Christ and a Roman Catholic, but he is also the head of a nation-state.”
“We are working with the Catholic Church on the distribution of humanitarian aid in Cuba. We share with the Catholic Church our concerns about the destruction of religious freedoms, the persecution of Christian minorities, as well as the challenges faced by Christians in Africa,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly disparaged the first US-born Pope in recent weeks, prompting a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
On Monday, Trump told right-wing radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, “I don’t think the Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and that’s not very good.”
Leo never said Iran should have nuclear weapons, but he opposed the war, which Trump said was aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program.
Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons but says, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment.
Responding to Trump’s attack, Leo said he wanted to spread the Christian message by talking about peace, but people were free to criticize him.
“The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” the Pope said.
“If anyone wants to criticize me for preaching the Gospel…I just hope to be heard because of the value of God’s words.”
Leo also firmly rejected the idea that the Catholic Church supported nuclear weapons, which it taught were immoral.
“The church has been speaking out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
Rubio is Catholic, as is Vice President J.D. Vance. The two met a year ago after attending Leo’s inauguration service.
The pope also harshly criticized the Trump administration’s strict anti-immigration policies. And he called for dialogue between the United States and Catholic-majority Cuba, which has been frequently disrupted by U.S. sanctions aimed at cracking down on the one-party communist government.
