A mission to try to mend some rifts that emerged after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Italy on behalf of Donald Trump. For years the US president has accustomed us to over the top words but in recent times his interventions have led to a deterioration of relations both with the Holy See and with the government led by Giorgia Meloni. The Prime Minister and leader of the Brothers of Italy was the only European leader who participated in the tycoon’s inauguration ceremony. Moments that seem light years apart given the current climate recorded between the two sides of the ocean.
Look at the Vatican
Rubio will be quite busy in the next few days, during his tour between the Vatican and Rome. On Thursday 7 May the US Secretary of State will be in a private audience with Pope Leo XIV. The appointment, as confirmed by the Holy See, is scheduled for around 11.30. Trump’s man will also see Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Rubio’s mission
Of Cuban origin and Catholic faith, the former Florida senator will have to try to mend the rift created by the tycoon in recent weeks. Trump’s words towards his compatriot who ascended to the pontifical throne in fact caused a deterioration in relations between the United States and Vatican City. In fact, Robert Francis Prevost has been attacked several times by the US president: “terrible in foreign policy”, “weak against crime” and “does not understand the situation in Iran”. Trump then went further with images generated with artificial intelligence in which he represented himself as the new Jesus Christ. The latest communication stunt by the occupant of the White House will certainly have raised eyebrows within the Holy See.
The war in the Middle East represents the latest of the various fronts that pit the pontiff and the US president against each other. The first signs were seen of the White House’s crackdown on immigration, involving raids on major American cities, including Chicago itself, which was the birthplace of Robert Francisc Prevost. The outbreak of the conflict with Tehran led the pontiff to express himself in favor of a final point in order to achieve peace. A position that the tycoon did not like at all and which will probably be at the discussion table between the leaders of the Holy See and Rubio.
Relationships with Meloni
The US Secretary of State will also meet some members of the Meloni government. In fact, on Friday 8 May Rubio will see both Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. And there are those who do not rule out a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister after the recent differences of opinion between Rome and Washington. There are many open dossiers on the table: from the war in Ukraine to the conflict in the Middle East, passing through maritime security and the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
The next few days will be Rubio’s third visit to Italy. The first took place at Villa Madama in May 2025, while the second in February for the inauguration of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics together with vice president JD Vance. But the US Secretary of State’s mission this time will be less pleasant than in the past: transatlantic relations are going through one of the most tense phases in recent years, aggravated by Trump’s management of the conflict in Iran. The tycoon often acted without any coordination with his European partners, taking decisions that had rather serious impacts on the economies of the countries of the Old Continent.
The meeting between Rubio and the members of the executive is anticipated by Trump’s re-sharing of an interview with Matteo Salvini on Truth. The vice-president of the Council and secretary of the League had been interviewed by Breitbart, a publication organic to the Maga movement. An interview given in February, during the Winter Olympics. “I thank President Trump for the courage and for the cultural foundations he is giving to an economic and political project, because it is essential to give a cultural foundation, based on values and ideals – otherwise everything passes”, said Salvini during the chat. And in the last few hours some are wondering whether the secretary of the League has regained a centrality in the Trumpian world. Although the vice president of the Council tried to minimize the importance of the interview, hoping for a resumption of good relations between the two countries: “We are in May, which is also the month of the Madonna. We have too many conflicts underway. The position of Italy and the Italian government is absolutely balanced and we are not at war with anyone and therefore I hope that May will bring a bit of common sense and a spirit of peace both in Iran and in Ukraine”.