ToplineThe U.S. State Department touted what it described as an “enduring partnership” between the U.S. and Pope Leo XIV after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the pope for more than two hours Thursday, amid President Donald Trump’s feud with the Vatican.Pope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsRubio, who is Catholic, posted photos of his meeting with the pope to X, writing “met with @Pontifex to underscore our shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.”U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement to multiple outlets that the meeting “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See” and that the two discussed the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East and “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.” Rubio also met with Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a durable peace in the Middle East,” the State Department said, adding, “the discussion reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in advancing religious freedom.”The meetings come as Trump has repeatedly attacked Leo over the pope’s criticism of the U.S. military actions against Iran, most recently on Tuesday, when Trump told conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” accusing the pope of promoting the belief “that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” (the pope said in response that the Catholic Church “for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons).Rubio, addressing Trump’s comments about the pope in a press conference Tuesday, said, Trump “doesn’t understand why anybody, leave aside the Pope” would “think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.”Pope Leo XIV exchanges gifts with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPope Leo XIV poses with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPope Leo XIV poses with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio, his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio and delegation during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPope Leo XIV exchanges gifts with U.S. Secretary Of State Marco Rubio during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 07, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesChief Critic“Attacking him like that or criticizing what he does seems a bit strange to me, to say the least,” Parolin said Wednesday of Trump’s criticism of Leo. He said, “we cannot ignore the United States. Despite some difficulties, they certainly remain a key partner for the Holy See, not least because they play a role in almost every situation we face today.”What To Watch ForRubio will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Rome. Meloni has defended the pope and has criticized the U.S. war with Iran.Key BackgroundRubio told reporters Tuesday his trip to Italy was planned before Trump’s broadsides against the pope, but acknowledged, “obviously we had some stuff that happened” and there was “a lot to talk about,” including humanitarian aid for Cuba. The U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told reporters Tuesday Rubio was coming to the Vatican so the two sides can “better understand each other, and to work through, if there are any differences,” adding that he doesn’t “accept the idea that somehow there’s some deep rift.”Further ReadingPoll Finds Most Americans Disapprove Of Trump And Hegseth’s Religious War Messaging—Ahead Of Rubio’s Pope Visit (Forbes)Trump Lashes Out At Pope Leo Over Iran War—Again—Before Rubio Visit (Forbes)Here Are Pope Leo’s Full Comments On ‘Tyrants’ (Forbes)