US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, seeking to downplay the escalating feud between President Donald Trump and the Catholic leader over the Iran war.

Rubio told reporters the visit was planned before Trump lashed out at the Pope for criticizing the war. "Obviously we had some stuff that happened… There's a lot to talk about with the Vatican," he said.

Rubio, a Catholic, arrived after 11 a.m. local time and held a private 30-minute meeting with the pontiff. He later met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

On Wednesday, Parolin said: "I imagine we'll talk about everything that's happened in recent days, we can't avoid touching on these topics." He noted that Washington initiated the meeting.

Elected one year ago, Pope Leo XIV is the first US pope. He angered Trump after becoming a prominent critic of the Iran war and the administration's hardline immigration policies.

Trump has continued verbal attacks against the pope. In April, he claimed Leo "wouldn't be in the Vatican" if not for him, after the pope said "no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood." Trump later posted an AI-generated image of himself as a god-like figure.

After Trump's latest outburst Monday, accusing the pope of "endangering a lot of Catholics by opposing the war," the pontiff responded: "If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully." He added that the Church has long opposed all nuclear weapons.

Source: www.dw.com