Pope Leo XIV and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Thursday in Rome, aiming to improve relations between the Vatican and Washington amid repeated attacks by US President Donald Trump on the pontiff. The meeting marked the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.

The Vatican said the two “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations.” The meeting reportedly ran longer than scheduled, causing the pope to arrive 40 minutes late for a subsequent event.

Rubio, a Catholic, gave the pope a small crystal football, joking that Leo, a Chicago native and White Sox fan, was more of a “baseball guy.” The pope gave Rubio a pen made from olive wood, calling it “the plant of peace.”

Rubio had said he expected to discuss Cuba and religious freedom. US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch predicted a “frank” conversation. The Vatican statement noted an “exchange of views” on global affairs and the need for peace.

Pope Leo, the first American pope, has drawn Trump’s ire by criticizing the US-Israeli war on Iran and Trump’s anti-immigration policies. Trump has launched unprecedented public attacks on the pope, including falsely claiming Leo supported Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Experts say the Vatican’s emphasis on “building better bilateral relations” indicates no substantive agreements were reached. Former diplomat Peter Martin noted “there is work to do,” while Vatican specialist Austen Ivereigh suggested relations are “not good.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com