Rubio to meet Pope Leo as Trump keeps up attacks on pontiff By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, in a potentially fraught encounter as President Donald Trump has continued a series of disparaging attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war. Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, was due to arrive at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace around 11:15 a.m.
Original (en)
By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, in a potentially fraught encounter as President Donald Trump has continued a series of disparaging attacks on the Catholic leader over the Iran war. Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, was due to arrive at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace around 11:15 a.m. (0915 GMT) for the visit, the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.
Published
May 7, 2026, 09:36 AM UTC
6d ago
Significance
US and Iranian forces clashed at the Strait of Hormuz late Thursday, trading strikes on ships and, according to Iran, civilian areas — the sharpest escalation since the two countries entered a ceasefire roughly a month ago. Trump insists the ceasefire remains intact, while Iranian state media says the situation has returned to normal, though both sides blame the other for firing first.
The UAE is reportedly countering an Iranian air attack, even as former President Trump claims a ceasefire remains in effect — a development that would mark a dramatic escalation between Iran and a US-aligned Gulf state.
US and Iranian forces have clashed in the Strait of Hormuz, with the US disabling Iranian tankers and Iran accusing Washington of unprovoked aggression. Trump is threatening additional strikes even as diplomatic back-channels remain nominally open.
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