On the first anniversary of his May 8, 2025 election, the first American pontiff is travelling to Pompeii and Naples, starting the visit at a shrine founded by a former Satanic priest.
Rubio, a devout Catholic, sought to play down the rift ahead of the private audience, which will be followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Pope Leo XIV met on Monday with the first woman to lead the world’s Anglican Christians, the newly enthroned Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, urging unity to evangelize more effectively.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called for “greater room for freedom” in Equatorial Guinea and delivered a rare criticism of living conditions for prisoners before visiting inmates in a jail known for its squalor and ill-treatment of detainees.
US President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s centuries-old civilisation was the red line that prompted Pope Leo to show his colours, analysts say.
Trump has called the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”, suggesting that cardinals only elected Leo pope in May 2025 because he was American, and a potential bridge to Washington.
Leo was speaking to leaders of the Roman Curia — the Catholic Church’s governing body — as he prepares for his first Christmas as pope.
Pope Leo XIV stressed the importance of Christian charity at a meeting with hard-right European lawmakers on Wednesday, highlighting Europe’s Judeo-Christian roots while warning against being stuck in a “past epoch”.
Mwanzo Tv News
