Papal audience with America's top diplomat scheduled for Thursday

Pope Leo XIV is set to receive US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, as announced by the Vatican on Monday, following a period of intense criticism from US President Donald Trump, who had previously lambasted the pontiff.

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The meeting, scheduled for 11:30 am (0930 GMT), will be a private affair between the two, with Rubio, a Catholic, expected to engage in discussions with the pope, according to the Vatican's published calendar.

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A Vatican source confirmed on Sunday that the upcoming meeting aims to ease tensions between the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and the US government, amidst efforts to "thaw" their strained relationship.

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During his visit to Rome, Rubio is also slated to meet with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, as revealed by an Italian government source on Sunday.

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Rubio has additionally requested a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close European ally of Trump, who had defended the pope against the US President's criticism, prompting a rift between them, as disclosed by the source.

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Pope Leo XIV has been increasingly vocal about his opposition to international conflicts and the politicians involved in them, culminating in a scathing critique of the Trump administration's actions last month.

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Trump responded with a fiery rebuke of the US-born pope, branding him a "man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime" and accusing him of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon", in an apparent reference to Iran.

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Furthermore, Trump sparked controversy by posting an AI-generated image that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ, in a move that drew widespread attention.

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The upcoming meeting between the pope and Rubio will mark their second encounter, following their initial meeting in May 2025, when Rubio visited the Vatican alongside US Vice President JD Vance, just days after Pope Leo XIV's election.