Pope Leo and Rubio exchange symbolic gifts to mend relations at Vatican meeting

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen gifting the Pope a small ‘crystal football,’ while Pope Leo XIV presented Rubio with a ‘wooden pen’, he described as the ‘plant of peace’Catholic leader Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were scheduled for a “frank” meeting on Thursday.

The agenda of the meeting was to improve relations between the Vatican and Washington at a time when President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff.Leo ‌and Rubio “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations,” the Vatican said in a statement after the first meeting between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, amid an atmosphere of tension with Washington.Rubio was also seen giving the Pope a small “crystal football”.

He joked that he knew that Leo, originally from Chicago and known as a fan of the White Sox, was more of a “baseball guy.”

While Pope Leo XIV gave Rubio a small “pen made from wood” from an olive tree, which he called “the plant of peace.”

Rubio had told a White House ‌briefing on Tuesday he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world with Leo.

The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, said, also on Tuesday, that the conversation between the pope and Rubio was likely to be “frank.”

In his public criticism of the pope, Trump on Monday falsely suggested that Leo believed it was okay for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and that he was “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the war.

Leo told journalists after the latest attack that he was spreading the Christian message of peace. The pope also firmly rejected the idea that he supported nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church teaches are immoral.

As Rubio arrived at the Vatican earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving from a meeting with Leo.

“It is still possible that the world does not have to descend into chaos if good people, people of goodwill, find one another and act in unity,” Tusk said, speaking in Polish.

He told journalists he and the pope discussed how to strengthen international cooperation and generate hope in the world.

Leo-Rubio meeting, sign of strong relationship:

Leo, the first U.S. pope, drew Trump’s ire after becoming a firm critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies.

Trump has kept up an unprecedented series of public attacks on the pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.

Rubio’s meeting with Leo is a sign of a “strong” relationship between the Vatican and the U.S., State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Rubio spent more than 2 hours at the Vatican under tight security. He also met with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat and Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The U.S. embassy to the Holy See said on X that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.”

The Vatican statement said the two had “exchanged views” on the world situation and spoke about “the need to work tirelessly in favor of peace.”

The meeting appeared to have run longer than planned. The pope arrived 40 minutes late for a subsequent meeting with Vatican staffers and thanked them for being patient.

A Vatican video from the beginning of the closed-door encounter showed Leo shaking hands with his guest and addressing him formally as “Mr. Secretary,” to which Rubio, a Catholic, responded, “Great to see you.”