MILAN, Italy (RNS) – Amid a growing public rift between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump — arguably the two most influential American-born figures in the world — Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Vatican on Thursday seeking to highlight common ground between the Holy See and the Trump administration. Rubio’s meeting with…
Amid growing tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the pontiff met privately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday morning They discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to a statement from Tommy Pigott, the spokesman for the State…
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories Iran is evaluating the Trump administration’s latest proposal to end the war, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said yesterday. President Trump…
(RNS) — Shortly after Pope Leo XIV was elected last May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself a Catholic, was asked about his thoughts on the newly minted pontiff’s comments signaling deep concern for immigrants. After defending President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts — which Pope Leo would end up publicly criticizing — Rubio, the…
Pope Leo XIV surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, by joining a video call from Rome on Wednesday, telling them they were in his prayers and that he hoped peace would soon prevail along the tense frontier. The Lebanese Catholic and Maronite priests were asked to attend an online morning…
For decades, the unspoken assumption at the Vatican was that there could never be a pope from the United States. With Americans as both Holy Father and leader of the free world, the thinking went, the United States would wield too much influence in both the geopolitical and spiritual realms. The cardinals who elected new…
When white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney a little after 6 p.m. local time on last May 8, signaling to the world that a successor to Pope Francis had been chosen, many were surprised at the relative speed at which the cardinals had managed to elect a new pontiff. As cheers erupted…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over U.S. policies, particularly the Iran war. The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a Catholic who with this trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet on Thursday with Pope Leo XIV and a day later with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, according to the Vatican and the Italian government, in a two-day visit amid tensions between Washington, Rome and the Vatican. The State Department later said in a statement that Mr. Rubio…
During his recent visit to Africa, Pope Leo XIV was encouraging to a continent where religion, family and community are still vital in the lives of people. But he was also challenging, especially to the ruling elites whose corruption and infighting are keeping the continent from reaching its true potential. Much media attention has focused…
