Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican early Thursday, days after President Trump reignited his feud with the American-born pontiff over the Iran war.

Rubio met with the pope for at 11:30 a.m. local time, according to his daily public schedule. At 12:15 p.m. local time, he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state of the Holy See.
Vatican News posted photos of Rubio, a practicing Catholic, and the pope to the social platform X. In one photo, the two are seated and Leo is speaking to the secretary.

The meeting, as reported by Reuters, lasted about 2.5 hours and included other senior Vatican officials, such as top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Their discussions focused on “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” and “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” according to a press release from the State Department.