Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Rome on Friday seeking to smooth relations with Italy as tensions escalated between the Trump administration and the Vatican over Middle East strategy and Iran policy.
Rubio met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the trip, which appeared designed to reset ties after weeks of friction. The disagreements centered on the US approach to Iran, the Israel conflict, and Trump's public criticism of Pope Leo.
Following his audience with the pontiff, Rubio characterized the encounter as "cordial and important." He said he used the opportunity to walk through Washington's Iran policy in detail, an attempt to explain American actions that have drawn pushback from Rome and the Vatican.
The visit marked a clear diplomatic effort to patch relations at a moment when the two longtime allies found themselves at odds over core foreign policy questions. Italy and the Vatican had expressed concern about escalating tensions in the Middle East and questioned certain US positions on Iran.
Trump had previously criticized the pope in ways that added personal tension to the policy disagreements, making the Rubio mission a necessary recalibration for an administration that typically values strong ties with Italy and the Catholic Church.
The secretary of state's framing of the meetings as productive suggested the administration viewed the Rome trip as successful in at least beginning to address the strain.
Author James Rodriguez: "Rubio's damage control mission signals the Trump team recognizes it overplayed its hand with both the Vatican and Italy, and now has to walk back the personal jabs while defending its Iran position."
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