U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the importance of the cooperative partnership between the United States and the Vatican during a recent visit to Italy that included meetings with Pope Leo XIV and the Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“We have a very strong relationship with the Vatican. We work with them on a lot of things around the world,” noted Secretary Rubio. “I. . .updated them on the situation with Iran, expressed our point of view about why this was important, and the danger that Iran poses to the world, which is largely recognized.”
Secretary Rubio outlined the separate, yet complimentary roles that the U.S. and the Vatican play.
“I think it’s an opportunity to personally express our point of view from the standpoint of foreign policy in the areas we’re involved in and share insights, but also to gain insights. Because the church has a unique role in many of these countries in terms of the insights and information that they’re receiving. In some cases, in the past, the church has been an important interlocutor – not just with governments, but with societies.”
Discussions on the Middle East included efforts to achieve a durable peace, including in Lebanon, which has a large Christian population.
Secretary Rubio said he and Pope Leo discussed topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere, including ongoing humanitarian efforts. He noted that the U.S. government had provided $6 million in hurricane relief to Cuba that was being distributed through the Catholic agency Caritas. The U.S. sought to provide an additional $100 million that was refused by the Cuban regime, he said. They also discussed the recent visit of several Venezuelan bishops to the Vatican and their perspective on that country’s progress.
Secretary Rubio said that he appreciated Pope Leo’s perspectives from his recent visit to Africa and that the two spoke extensively regarding what he called an “incredible tragedy” in Sudan and efforts to establish a humanitarian ceasefire in the region.
The discussions also reflected the enduring partnership between the United States and the Holy See in advancing religious freedom, noted State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
“It was a good meeting,” said Secretary Rubio, “because we were able to talk about these different areas in the world where they have a presence, where they are engaged, and we are as well, and of course find opportunities to either continue cooperating where that already exists, like in Cuba, or expand our cooperation in other places where it makes sense.”
As Spokesperson Pigott noted, the meetings “underscored … [a] shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.”