Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Rome this Thursday and Friday on a diplomatic mission to repair U.S. relations with Italy and the Vatican after weeks of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and both governments.
The timing is notable: Rubio's visit coincides with the one-year anniversary of Pope Leo's papacy. Leo is the first U.S.-born pontiff, yet he has emerged as an unlikely flashpoint in Trump's foreign policy disputes.
During his Rome stay, Rubio plans to meet with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Thursday and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday. He has also requested a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, though that request has not yet been approved. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto may also be on the agenda, though no formal appointment has been scheduled.
The diplomatic push comes after a dramatic breakdown in relations sparked by Trump's attacks on Pope Leo over the pontiff's condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. When Meloni defended Leo and criticized Trump's remarks, the president retaliated by lashing out at his former European ally and threatening to withdraw U.S. troops from Italy.
U.S. Ambassador to Rome Tilman Fertitta has been quietly working behind the scenes to rebuild ties between Washington and Rome, according to reports in Corriere della Sera. The newspaper described Rubio's mission as "not impossible, but complicated" and framed it as an effort to "thaw" relations frozen by Trump's outburst.
The tension erupted in late March when Italy refused to allow the U.S. military to use an airbase in Sicily for flights carrying weapons destined for the Iranian war. That refusal, combined with Pope Leo's continued criticism of the conflict, triggered Trump's fury.
Defense Minister Crosetto pushed back against Trump's troop withdrawal threat on Friday, saying he did not understand the president's reasoning and rejecting claims that Rome had failed to support U.S. interests, particularly in maritime security operations.
Trump's hostility toward allied governments has spread beyond Italy. On Friday, the Pentagon announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany in response to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's criticism that the U.S. was being "humiliated" by Iran. Trump has suggested that number could grow. Spain has also faced similar threats for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's public opposition to the Iranian war.
The Vatican did not immediately comment on Rubio's planned visit. Notably, Pope Leo attended his own inauguration last May with both Rubio and Vice President JD Vance present. The two American officials had a private audience with the pontiff the following day, during which they extended an invitation from Trump to visit the White House. Leo has not accepted the invitation.
When Trump attacked the pontiff in April, calling him weak, Leo responded calmly, stating he did not fear the U.S. administration and would continue speaking out against the war on Iran and other conflicts.
Author James Rodriguez: "Rubio's Rome trip is damage control, plain and simple, but repairing what Trump broke in a week of diplomatic rage won't be quick or easy."
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