Marco Rubio meets Pope Leo at the Vatican

check_circle

“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left the Vatican after a lengthy meeting with Pope Leo on Thursday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (The Guardian, The New York Times) confirm that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday and subsequently left.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marco Antonio Rubio (, ROO-bee-oh; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, attorney, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States secretary of state. He is also the acting national …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeanette Christina Dousdebes Rubio (née Dousdebes; born December 5, 1973) is an American former professional cheerleader. She is married to United States secretary of state and former senator Marco Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_Dousdebes_Rubio

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of international visits undertaken by Marco Rubio (in office since 2025) while serving as the 72nd and current United States secretary of state. The list includes both private travel an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_trips_ma…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“Rubio spent around two and a half hours inside, first meeting the pope, then holding talks with senior Vatican officials, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and Al Jazeera both report that Rubio met with the Pope and then held talks with senior officials, specifically naming Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Guardian mentions the total time was 'some two hours', which aligns with the 'around two and a half hours' claim.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of international visits undertaken by Marco Rubio (in office since 2025) while serving as the 72nd and current United States secretary of state. The list includes both private travel an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_trips_ma…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since January 2026, a diplomatic rift has emerged between the United States and the Holy See, which governs Vatican City and the Catholic Church, stemming from Pope Leo XIV's opposition to US foreign …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Holy_See–United_States_ri…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 18 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the inauguration Mass of his pontificate, formally known as the "Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome". The event was attended b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“Rubio said the trip was planned before Trump lashed out at the Pope for criticizing the war in Iran.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Marco Rubio stated the trip to the Vatican was already planned prior to President Trump's criticisms of the Pope regarding Iran.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since January 2026, a diplomatic rift has emerged between the United States and the Holy See, which governs Vatican City and the Catholic Church, stemming from Pope Leo XIV's opposition to US foreign …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Holy_See–United_States_ri…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of international presidential trips made by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump made 19 international trips to 25 countries (in addition to visi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_presiden…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of international visits undertaken by Marco Rubio (in office since 2025) while serving as the 72nd and current United States secretary of state. The list includes both private travel an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_trips_ma…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“In Trump's latest remarks, the president claimed the pope thinks it is "oK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference from Deutsche Welle and a web search result quoting Trump saying he doesn't want a Pope who believes it is acceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, pronounced PREE-vohst, September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. He is the first pope to have been born in the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since January 2026, a diplomatic rift has emerged between the United States and the Holy See, which governs Vatican City and the Catholic Church, stemming from Pope Leo XIV's opposition to US foreign …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Holy_See–United_States_ri…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The religious views of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, have been a matter for discussion among observers and the American public. Trump was raised in his Scottish-born …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_religion

+ 4 more evidence sources

info

“On Wednesday, Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said "I imagine we'll talk about everything that's happened in recent days"”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of search results for birds and a healthcare company ('Northern cardinal', 'Cardinal Health'), which are irrelevant. No evidence was found confirming Cardinal Parolin's specific quote from Wednesday.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In the United States, the northern cardinal (referred to as just "cardinal") is the mascot of numerous athletic teams; however, most teams portray the bird with a yellow beak and legs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_cardinal

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Learn more about everything Cardinal Health is doing to combat the crisis of opioid misuse in America and to keep the nation's pharmaceutical supply chain secure.
https://www.cardinalhealth.com/en.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cardinal, any of various medium-size thick-billed species of songbirds of the New World, many with crested heads. The males all sport at least some bright red plumage.
https://www.britannica.com/animal/cardinal-bird

verified

“Elected one year ago this Friday, Pope Leo XIV is the first US pope.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Pope Leo XIV is the first US-born pope and that his papacy began approximately one year prior (May 18, 2025).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He is the first pope to have been born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second (after his immediate pre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — With the first year of Pope Leo’s papacy coming to an end, American Catholics have had time to develop initial opinions.Pope Leo was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, and is the first Pope from …
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2026/05/07/catholic…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Celebrating the newly elected pope at a Mass in Chiclayo, Peru, last year. Leo served as bishop in the country for almost a decade.Credit...Marco Garro for The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/world/europe/leo-first-am…

check_circle

“Trump claimed Leo "wouldn't be in the Vatican" if he weren't president”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that Donald Trump claimed Pope Leo would not be in the Vatican if Trump were not president.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — President Donald Trump is refusing to apologize to Pope Leo XIV after criticizing the pontiff's opposition to the war in Iran.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/snplus/politics/2026/04/13/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donald Trump has issued another verbal attack against Pope Leo, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/05/donald-trump-a…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — That comes after President Donald Trump called Pope Leo weak on crime, terrible for foreign policy and suggested he stop catering to the radical left. Trump also claimed if he was not in the White Hou…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/new-category-test/592357/catholic…

check_circle

“Trump then posted an AI-generated image of himself portrayed as a god-like figure, which was quickly taken down.”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by Deutsche Welle and multiple web sources (IBTimes UK, Truth Social reports) that Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like/god-like figure and then removed it.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donald Trump shared an image depicting himself as Jesus (Image: @realDonaldTrump). "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn eve…
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/trum…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donald Trump posted and deleted an AI-generated image depicting himself in a Jesus-like role, sparking backlash across political and religious circles.– Experts Weigh In. The AI image of Trump as a Je…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-ai-jesus-image-controversy-1…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How Trump’s Jesus-like image and criticism of the Pope are sparking backlash. Faced with growing backlash, US President Donald Trump appears to have removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17v8y0z9z2o

+ 1 more evidence source

check_circle

“Trump claimed Leo was "endangering a lot of Catholics by opposing the war"”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference from Deutsche Welle and a report from The Guardian stating Trump accused the pontiff of 'endangering a lot of Catholics' due to his stance on Iran.

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — Trump claimed Leo was "endangering a lot of Catholics by opposing the war"
https://www.dw.com/en/rubio-meets-pope-leo-at-the-vatican/a-…

eFinder

eFinder

Marco Rubio meets Pope Leo at the Vatican

fact_checkFact-Check Results