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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected comments in which President Donald Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of “endangering Catholics” over his stance on the Iran war, saying his earlier comments were misquoted.
“Well, I don’t think that’s the correct interpretation of what he said,” Rubio told reporters on Tuesday when asked about Trump’s comments that the pope was “endangering many Catholics”.
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Rubio said the president’s concern stemmed from Iran’s threat to “an area with a lot of Catholics and Christians and others”, and asked why “anybody would think it’s a good idea for Iran to have nuclear weapons”.
He also spoke of rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of “capturing the entire world” and endangering merchant ships.
Trump previously criticized the pope in a speech to right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, saying the pope was too soft on Tehran.
“The Pope would love to say it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s okay,” Trump said.
“I think they are endangering many Catholics and many people. But I think if it is up to the Pope, he thinks it is better for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The exchange comes ahead of Rubio’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, which the US ambassador to the Holy See said should be “open”, highlighting tensions between Washington and the Catholic Church.
“Tribes have disagreements, and one way to resolve them is through dialogue,” Governor Brian Burch said Tuesday.
“I think the secretary is coming here in the same spirit, to have a frank discussion about US policy and to discuss it,” he said.
The pope has never said Iran should have nuclear weapons, but he has opposed the war, which Trump says is aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.
A war of words between Trump and Pope Leo
The crisis between Trump and Pope Leo began in March after the pope spoke out against the war on Iran and criticized the use of Christian words to justify the war.
The dispute escalated in April when Trump attacked the pope on social media, calling him “criminally weak” and accusing him of aligning with the “far left”.
Then Pope Leo answered on a trip to Algeriahe says that he is not afraid and will continue to speak against the war.
“I will continue to speak loudly against war, and look to promote peace, promote dialogue and multilateral relations between countries—seek ways to solve problems,” he said, speaking in English.
“Many people are suffering in this country today. Many innocent people are being killed.
The Vatican’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said he did not know whether Leo would respond to Trump’s recent comments.
“The Pope will continue on his way, in the sense of preaching the Gospel (and) He said Leo talks about peace every time, “simple and difficult”.
Rubio is also scheduled to meet Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope, whose defense minister said the Iran war is putting the US presidency at risk.
The Pope has also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies and has called for dialogue between the United States and Cuba, which has been frequently blocked by US sanctions.
