Rubio seeks to smooth tensions with Pope Leo

It’s Thursday. I can’t scroll on social media for very long without seeing a reference to the Vineyard Gazette job opening that comes with a furnished home on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. I wonder how many job applications the newspaper is now getting.

Rubio meets with the pope

Rubio meets with the pope

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Could this lead to a come-to-Jesus moment of sorts?:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met privately with Pope Leo XIV this morning to hash things out amid the tensions between the U.S. and the Vatican.

Namely: The pope’s opposition to the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, but also the Trump administration’s immigration policies. President Trump and the pope have had several public clashes recently.

Just a few days ago: Trump bashed the pope to conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” with his public opposition to the war in Iran. Rubio agrees with Trump, telling reporters on Tuesday that he doesn’t understand why the pope thinks “it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.”

How did today’s meeting go?: The two chatted in the pope’s private library, according to The New York Times. It lasted for roughly 2½ hours, per Reuters.

📸 Photos from the pope-Rubio meeting 📸 More photos

While Rubio is in town: He also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state of the Holy See. He will also meet with senior Italian officials, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

💡Rubio was an interesting pick for this meeting: Rubio is a devout Catholic. He is also seen as one of the top contenders to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028 to succeed President Trump. But so is Vice President Vance, who converted to Catholicism a few years........

© The Hill