Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio May 7 at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the Holy See has confirmed.
The private audience with the Holy Father comes as Rubio travels to Rome and the Vatican from May 6 to 8 for meetings with Church and Italian officials. The State Department said discussions are expected to address the situation in the Middle East as well as areas of shared interest in the Western Hemisphere.
Rubio, a Catholic, previously met Pope Leo in May 2025 following a Mass marking the start of the Holy Father’s pontificate. Rubio also participated in a bilateral meeting with the Pope the following day alongside Vice President JD Vance.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the Pontiff will also meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, described the meeting as “welcome news and a sign of hope,” pointing to Rubio’s dual role as the nation’s chief diplomat and a Catholic attuned to the Holy See’s moral and spiritual influence.
BIG moment 🇻🇦🇺🇸
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) May 4, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with the Pope—marking the first known in-person encounter between Pope Leo XIV and a U.S. cabinet official in nearly a year.
The development is drawing attention from American Catholics, including a key conservative… pic.twitter.com/FI6hx6wTax
Broader context
The meeting follows recent public tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo regarding the Pontiff’s criticism of the Iran war, though officials have not detailed the agenda for the audience.
As Zeale News reported, Trump last month issued a lengthy social media post calling the Pope “WEAK on Crime” and “TERRIBLE for Foreign Policy,” describing the Holy Father as a “very liberal person” who should stop “catering to the Radical Left.”
As Zeale News also reported, Vance, responding to remarks from the Holy Father that God “is never on the side of those who wield the sword,” said “it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
Pope Leo has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration,” and noted that while real disagreements exist, the media often exaggerates conflict and “the reality is often much more complicated.”
>> Pope Leo says he has ‘no fear of the Trump administration’ and will continue to urge peace <<