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Rubio flies to Rome to repair US rift with Vatican and Italy over Iran war

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Key Developments
  • ▸U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Rome and the Vatican on May 7–8, 2026, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on May 7, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on May 8, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera confirmed by Vatican sources.
  • ▸The trip is aimed at repairing relations ruptured since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026, after which Trump publicly called Pope Leo XIV 'weak' and 'terrible for foreign policy,' then extended his criticism to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she defended the pontiff, according to The Media Line and IBTimes.
  • ▸Pope Leo XIV condemned the initial U.S. strikes on Iran as 'illegal and immoral' and on April 7 called Trump's threats against the Iranian people 'truly unacceptable,' according to Vatican News; the Vatican press office separately confirmed in February that the pope would not visit the United States in 2026.
  • ▸A January 2026 meeting between Pentagon Undersecretary Elbridge Colby and Vatican envoy Cardinal Christophe Pierre was reported by The Free Press to have involved a warning that Washington 'has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side,' including an alleged invocation of the Avignon Papacy; the Pentagon called the reporting 'highly exaggerated and distorted,' and the U.S. ambassador said Pierre 'emphatically denied' the portrayal, according to Euronews.
  • ▸Italy recalibrated its position toward Israel following incidents in Lebanon involving its UNIFIL troops, and imposed an arms embargo on Israel over the Gaza war; Italian public opinion polls show 70% of Italians are highly critical of Israel, according to The Media Line, creating domestic pressure on Prime Minister Meloni.

Rubio flies to Rome to repair US rift with Vatican and Italy over Iran war

Confidence: HIGH (82/100)  |  May 04, 2026  |  Iran

Rubio flies to Rome to repair US rift with Vatican and Italy over Iran war ibtimes.sg

In one sentence: Secretary of State Rubio heads to Rome and the Vatican this week to mend ties shattered by Trump's public attacks on Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war.

Why it matters: The diplomatic mission signals that Washington recognises the Iran war has fractured its relations with two of its most symbolically important Western partners — the Holy See and Italy — at a moment when European support for U.S. military action is already thin. Italy's UNIFIL troops in Lebanon and its arms embargo on Israel give Rome concrete leverage beyond rhetoric. The Vatican, which maintains diplomatic ties with all 184 UN member states including Iran, is one of the few actors with back-channels to Tehran that the U.S. itself no longer controls.

What Happened Today

  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Rome and the Vatican on May 7–8, 2026, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on May 7, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on May 8, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera confirmed by Vatican sources.
  • The trip is aimed at repairing relations ruptured since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026, after which Trump publicly called Pope Leo XIV 'weak' and 'terrible for foreign policy,' then extended his criticism to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she defended the pontiff, according to The Media Line and IBTimes.
  • Pope Leo XIV condemned the initial U.S. strikes on Iran as 'illegal and immoral' and on April 7 called Trump's threats against the Iranian people 'truly unacceptable,' according to Vatican News; the Vatican press office separately confirmed in February that the pope would not visit the United States in 2026.
  • A January 2026 meeting between Pentagon Undersecretary Elbridge Colby and Vatican envoy Cardinal Christophe Pierre was reported by The Free Press to have involved a warning that Washington 'has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side,' including an alleged invocation of the Avignon Papacy; the Pentagon called the reporting 'highly exaggerated and distorted,' and the U.S. ambassador said Pierre 'emphatically denied' the portrayal, according to Euronews.
  • Italy recalibrated its position toward Israel following incidents in Lebanon involving its UNIFIL troops, and imposed an arms embargo on Israel over the Gaza war; Italian public opinion polls show 70% of Italians are highly critical of Israel, according to The Media Line, creating domestic pressure on Prime Minister Meloni.

Contested Claims

  • The Free Press, citing unnamed Vatican officials: Cardinal Christophe Pierre was given a 'bitter lecture' by Elbridge Colby, who told the Vatican the Church 'had better take its side,' with a U.S. official also invoking the Avignon Papacy as a historical precedent. Pentagon statement on X; U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch via Euronews: The Pentagon called the reporting 'highly exaggerated and distorted,' saying the meeting was 'a respectful and reasonable discussion'; Cardinal Pierre said it 'does not reflect what happened' and was 'frank, but very cordial.'

Unverified / Single Source

  • (Unverified — anonymous source; Vatican press office confirmed only that the pope 'will not go to the United States in 2026' without citing disagreements) The Holy See considered and then indefinitely postponed a papal visit to the United States in 2026 due to foreign policy disagreements and rising opposition from U.S. bishops to Trump administration policies. [The Free Press, citing unnamed Vatican officials]
  • (Unverified — single specialist outlet identification; U.S. government has not formally confirmed responsibility) A missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killed more than 165 people, many of them children, in the opening days of the war, with Bellingcat identifying the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile. [Newsweek / Bellingcat, citing AP and U.S. officials]

Key Figures

MetricValueSource
Iranian provinces struck by Israeli and U.S. forces as of March 1, 202624 of 31 provincesAmerica Magazine / OSV News
Deaths reported in Tehran in 24 hours on March 1, 202657 killed in 60 attacksIran's state-run IRNA via BBC, cited by America Magazine
Italians highly critical of Israel (public opinion, May 2025 poll)~70%The Media Line
Countries with full diplomatic relations with the Holy See184America Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Rubio visiting the Vatican and Italy in May 2026? Rubio is travelling to Rome on May 7–8 to repair relations broken by Trump's public attacks on Pope Leo XIV over the pope's condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Italian PM Meloni's defence of the pope and Italy's broader resistance to backing the war have compounded the rift, according to Corriere della Sera and The Washington Post.

What has Pope Leo XIV said about the Iran war? Pope Leo XIV condemned the initial U.S. strikes on Iran as 'illegal and immoral,' called Trump's threats against the Iranian people 'truly unacceptable,' and in his Easter Urbi et Orbi urged those with the power to 'unleash wars' to choose peace instead, according to Euronews and Vatican News.

How has Italy's position on the Iran war affected its relationship with the United States? Italy refused to endorse the U.S.-Israeli strikes, imposed an arms embargo on Israel linked to the Gaza war, and PM Meloni publicly called Trump's attacks on the pope 'unacceptable.' Italian UNIFIL troops in Lebanon have also been involved in incidents with Israeli forces, further complicating Rome's alignment with Washington, per The Media Line.

Background

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026, with joint strikes that Israeli PM Netanyahu called a 'preemptive attack' targeting Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. forces. The conflict opened a simultaneous diplomatic front, pitting the Trump administration against European governments, the United Nations, and the Vatican, all of which have called the war illegal or morally unjustifiable.

Sources

Rubio flies to Rome to repair US rift with Vatican and Italy over Iran war
Image via ibtimes.sg
Source Verification
✓ Verified Facts
  • ✓U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Rome and the Vatican on May 7–8, 2026, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on May 7, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on May 8, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera confirmed by Vatican sources.
  • ✓The trip is aimed at repairing relations ruptured since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026, after which Trump publicly called Pope Leo XIV 'weak' and 'terrible for foreign policy,' then extended his criticism to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she defended the pontiff, according to The Media Line and IBTimes.
  • ✓Pope Leo XIV condemned the initial U.S. strikes on Iran as 'illegal and immoral' and on April 7 called Trump's threats against the Iranian people 'truly unacceptable,' according to Vatican News; the Vatican press office separately confirmed in February that the pope would not visit the United States in 2026.
  • ✓A January 2026 meeting between Pentagon Undersecretary Elbridge Colby and Vatican envoy Cardinal Christophe Pierre was reported by The Free Press to have involved a warning that Washington 'has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side,' including an alleged invocation of the Avignon Papacy; the Pentagon called the reporting 'highly exaggerated and distorted,' and the U.S. ambassador said Pierre 'emphatically denied' the portrayal, according to Euronews.
  • ✓Italy recalibrated its position toward Israel following incidents in Lebanon involving its UNIFIL troops, and imposed an arms embargo on Israel over the Gaza war; Italian public opinion polls show 70% of Italians are highly critical of Israel, according to The Media Line, creating domestic pressure on Prime Minister Meloni.
⚠ Disputed Claims
  • ⚠
    The Free Press, citing unnamed Vatican officials
    Cardinal Christophe Pierre was given a 'bitter lecture' by Elbridge Colby, who told the Vatican the Church 'had better take its side,' with a U.S. official also invoking the Avignon Papacy as a historical precedent.
    vs
    Pentagon statement on X; U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch via Euronews
    The Pentagon called the reporting 'highly exaggerated and distorted,' saying the meeting was 'a respectful and reasonable discussion'; Cardinal Pierre said it 'does not reflect what happened' and was 'frank, but very cordial.'
○ Unconfirmed
  • ○
    The Holy See considered and then indefinitely postponed a papal visit to the United States in 2026 due to foreign policy disagreements and rising opposition from U.S. bishops to Trump administration policies.(The Free Press, citing unnamed Vatican officials)
  • ○
    A missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killed more than 165 people, many of them children, in the opening days of the war, with Bellingcat identifying the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile.(Newsweek / Bellingcat, citing AP and U.S. officials)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Rubio visiting the Vatican and Italy in May 2026?
Rubio is travelling to Rome on May 7–8 to repair relations broken by Trump's public attacks on Pope Leo XIV over the pope's condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Italian PM Meloni's defence of the pope and Italy's broader resistance to backing the war have compounded the rift, according to Corriere della Sera and The Washington Post.
What has Pope Leo XIV said about the Iran war?
Pope Leo XIV condemned the initial U.S. strikes on Iran as 'illegal and immoral,' called Trump's threats against the Iranian people 'truly unacceptable,' and in his Easter Urbi et Orbi urged those with the power to 'unleash wars' to choose peace instead, according to Euronews and Vatican News.
How has Italy's position on the Iran war affected its relationship with the United States?
Italy refused to endorse the U.S.-Israeli strikes, imposed an arms embargo on Israel linked to the Gaza war, and PM Meloni publicly called Trump's attacks on the pope 'unacceptable.' Italian UNIFIL troops in Lebanon have also been involved in incidents with Israeli forces, further complicating Rome's alignment with Washington, per The Media Line.