Rubio defends Trump as tensions with pope spill into diplomacy

Marco Rubio has pushed back on claims that Donald Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of “endangering Catholics,” saying the president’s remarks have been misread.

“Well, I don’t think that’s an accurate description of what he said,” Rubio told reporters on Tuesday, responding to questions about Trump’s earlier comments.

Rubio framed the president’s position as rooted in security concerns, pointing to the risks Iran could pose to “places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others,” and questioning why “anyone would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon”. He also linked the issue to rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of “holding the whole world hostage” and threatening commercial shipping.

Trump’s original remarks, made in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, took a sharper tone.

“The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good,” he said. “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

The exchange lands just days before Rubio is due to meet Pope Leo at the Vatican, a conversation that US ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch has already described as likely to be “frank”. “Nations have disagreements, and one way to work through them is through dialogue,” Burch said, adding that Rubio would aim to “have a frank conversation about US policy and engage in dialogue”.

The dispute itself has been building for weeks. The pope has not endorsed Iran obtaining nuclear weapons but has consistently opposed the war, criticising the use of religious language to justify military action. Trump, in turn, has framed that stance as overly lenient toward Tehran.

The rhetoric escalated in April when Trump attacked the pope on social media, calling him “weak on crime” and accusing him of aligning with the “radical left”. Pope Leo responded during a visit to Algeria, doubling down on his anti-war position. “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote ⁠peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states ⁠to look for just ⁠solutions to problems,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to ‌stand ‌up and say there’s a better way.”

At the Vatican, the tone remains measured. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said he did not know whether the pope would respond directly to Trump’s latest comments, but made clear the broader direction.

“The pope will go ahead on his path, in the sense of preaching ‌the Gospel [and] ⁠peace,” he said, adding that Leo would continue to speak about peace “at every opportunity, convenient and inconvenient”.

Rubio’s visit also includes talks with Giorgia Meloni, who has publicly defended the pope, even as members of her government warn that the war in Iran could undermine US leadership.