Rubio Heads to Rome to Mend Ties With Vatican and Italy
Rubio will meet Vatican and Italian officials on May 7-8 to ease tensions after Trump's public spats with Pope Leo and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
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Overview
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Rome on May 7-8 to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Italian ministers, and possibly Pope Leo, according to Italian media reports.
The trip is reportedly aimed at thawing U.S. relations with the Vatican and Italy after President Donald Trump's mid-April attacks on Pope Leo and criticism of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Italy after Rome denied U.S. access to a Sicilian air base, and he criticized Meloni for defending the pope, according to reporting.
The Pentagon announced a drawdown of 5,000 troops from Germany, and nearly 13,000 active-duty U.S. troops were stationed in Italy across six bases at the end of 2025, according to reporting.
Reports say Rubio is expected to meet Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, and a requested meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had not yet been confirmed.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Rubio’s visit as a damage-control mission, emphasizing strained relations and Trump's prior 'withering criticism.' They foreground a Vatican official and unnamed 'observers,' repeat evaluative phrases like 'deterioration in relations' and 'patch up troubled ties,' and omit administration responses, creating a repair-focused narrative.