A face-to-face meeting lasting around 45 minutes, defined as “friendly and constructive” by US sources, in the heart of a very delicate phase of the international scenario. Pope Leo
The private audience between the Pontiff and the head of American diplomacy began at 11:30, after Rubio’s arrival from the Arco delle Campane, accompanied by an imposing diplomatic procession headed towards the Courtyard of San Damaso. The Vatican, for the occasion, was armored: Via della Conciliazione was closed to traffic and the area was also monitored from above.
At the center of the meeting, according to communications released by the Vatican and the State Department, were the main international dossiers: Middle East, Iran, Lebanon, Africa and Cuba, with particular attention to humanitarian crises and the need to work for lasting peace. The Vatican Press Office spoke of “cordial talks” during which “the common commitment to cultivate good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America” was renewed.
The Pope gives Rubio the “peace plant”
The same note refers to “an exchange of views on the regional and international situation”, with particular attention to countries marked by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations. A step that is not secondary, because the meeting comes as the crisis in the Middle East continues to have global diplomatic and economic repercussions, also on the energy front and the security of trade routes.
During the exchange of gifts, Leo XIV gave Rubio an olive wood fountain pen. “It is the plant of peace,” said the Pontiff, showing the coat of arms on one end of the pen. Rubio reciprocated with a crystal paperweight shaped like a football. “What do you give to someone who has everything?”, the American Secretary of State would have commented.
Rubio’s visit to the Vatican is also part of a difficult phase in the relations between Washington and the Holy See. In recent weeks, the Pope’s positions on ongoing conflicts and humanitarian issues had caused tensions with the American administration. However, today’s meeting, at least in the official words, seems oriented towards mending and reaffirming the desire to keep a stable channel of dialogue open. Reuters highlighted that the meeting also served to reaffirm bilateral relations at a time of political friction between the Vatican and the White House.
At the end of the hearing, the US State Department released a note with positive tones. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and issues of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” said spokesman Tommy Pigott. According to Washington, the meeting confirmed “the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See” and the common commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.
Tomorrow Rubio from Meloni
After the face-to-face meeting with the Pontiff, Rubio also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, responsible for Relations with States. Also in this case, according to the American reconstruction, the talks concerned ongoing humanitarian efforts, diplomatic initiatives for lasting peace in the Middle East and support for religious freedom.
The American Secretary of State left the Vatican in the early afternoon, after a total of more than two and a half hours spent inside the Leonine walls. Tomorrow his Italian mission will continue with government meetings: a step that confirms the weight of Rome and the Vatican in a diplomatic match that brings together war, energy, humanitarian crises and transatlantic relations.