1 month ago
US caput of authorities Marco Rubio will recreation to Rome this week, a sojourn reportedly aimed astatine thawing frosty relations pinch nan Italian authorities and nan Vatican.
Rubio will beryllium successful nan Italian superior connected Thursday and Friday, which will besides people nan one-year day of nan papacy of Pope Leo, nan first US-born pontiff.
A overseas ministry root confirmed that Rubio will recreation to Rome and meet nan Vatican’s caput of state, Pietro Parolin, and Antonio Tajani, Italy’s lawman premier curate and overseas minister. Rubio has asked to meet premier curate Giorgia Meloni, but nan petition has not yet been granted, nan root added.
According to reports successful Corriere della Sera, Rubio’s travel was announced successful a missive to nan Italian authorities from nan US ambassador to Rome, Tilman Fertitta, who nan regular newspaper said has been moving connected rebuilding “the bridge” betwixt nan 2 countries successful nan weeks since US president Donald Trump’s unprecedented broadside against Leo complete nan pontiff’s condemnation of nan US-Israeli warfare connected Iran, and consequent breakdown successful relations pinch Rome.
Trump berated Meloni, antecedently 1 of his closest friends successful Europe, aft she called retired his remarks against Leo, criticising her authorities for not supporting nan strikes connected Iran and threatening to retreat US troops from Italy arsenic a result.
Corriere reported that Rubio’s sojourn was aimed astatine “thawing” frosty relations pinch some Rome and nan Vatican, a ngo described by nan regular newspaper arsenic “not impossible, but complicated”.
Corriere besides said Rubio will meet Parolin connected Thursday and Tajani connected Friday. The newspaper reported that he would besides meet defence curate Guido Crosetto, though nan overseas ministry root said an assignment has not yet been officially scheduled.
The Vatican did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
On Friday, nan Pentagon announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany successful consequence to nan country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, saying nan US was being “humiliated” by Iran. Trump has suggested that number whitethorn increase. A elder Pentagon charismatic said caller German rhetoric had been “inappropriate and unhelpful” and that “the president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks”.
A time earlier, Trump threatened to do nan aforesaid pinch Italy and Spain. Spain’s premier minister, Pedro Sánchez, has spoken retired against nan US-Israeli warfare connected Iran from nan start, while Rome had performed a balancing enactment until precocious March erstwhile it refused nan usage of an airbase successful Sicily by US planes carrying weapons for nan war.
Crosetto said connected Friday he did not understand Trump’s motives for nan threat to retreat US troops from Italy and rejected accusations that Rome had not helped nan US, particularly successful narration to maritime security.
Rubio and US vice-president JD Vance attended Pope Leo’s inauguration successful May past twelvemonth and had a private assemblage pinch nan pontiff nan time after, during which they handed him an invitation from Trump to nan White House, which Leo has not yet taken up.
In consequence to Trump’s outburst successful April, nan pope said he did not fearfulness nan US management and continued to speak retired against nan warfare connected Iran and others.
