Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Marco Rubio arrives in Rome. The U.S. Secretary of State arrives in Italy on a diplomatic mission. Meetings with Pope Leo XIV are scheduled today and with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni tomorrow. The first stop is the Vatican for a meeting with the Pontiff, who has repeatedly been attacked by President Donald Trump: the White House leader has attributed Leo XIV's "soft" stance toward Iran.
"It's very simple: Whether I make the Pope happy or not, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump said Wednesday at the White House. The Pope "seemed to say they can. And I say they can't, because if that happened, the entire world would be held hostage. And we won't let them. That's my only message."
The Holy See is preparing.
"We will listen to Rubio, the initiative came from them, then I imagine we will talk about what has happened in recent days, we cannot avoid touching on these topics and then we will deal with international politics in general: issues like Latin America, I imagine also Cuba, there will be all the most pressing issues," said the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, summarizing the topics that will be discussed.
Regarding a proposal from the Holy See for a solution to the conflict in Iran, Parolin recalled that "proposals have always existed. These conflicts cannot be resolved by force but must be resolved through sincere negotiation, where all parties can find common ground."
Would the Pope meet with Trump? "Let's meet with Rubio, then we'll see how things develop. The Pope is open to all solutions; he has never backed away from anyone. If there were a request for direct dialogue with Trump, I believe the Pope would have no problem accepting." Speaking of Trump's attacks on the Pontiff, Parolin observed in detail: "I don't want to enter into personal judgments; I believe the Pope is doing what he has to do. Attacking him in this manner seems a little strange to me, at the very least." Is the US still an interlocutor? "And how can you do that without the US? It can't. Despite the difficulties, they remain interlocutors because they have a role in all the situations we experience. Many countries," Parolin emphasized, "say that the US must intervene, that it must take action, so there is always a reference to them." Do you count more on Rubio or Trump? "I don't count on anyone; I count on our Lord Jesus Christ," the Vatican Secretary of State concluded.
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international/foreign
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