Rubio to meet Pope Leo in wake of Trump’s attacks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and with Italian officials in Rome this week, as President Trump’s confrontations with the church and Italian government have soured relations. 

Rubio’s travel is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday. His meeting with Holy See leadership will center on the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere, the State Department said in a statement.

The secretary will also meet with Italian counterparts to focus “on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

Rubio, a Catholic, will meet the American-born pope following a bitter public row between Trump and the pontiff. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to Leo’s defense and drew Trump’s wrath. 

In early April, the pontiff expressed rare........

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