The Korea Times
VATICAN CITY - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Italy this week to meet with Pope Leo, a Vatican source said on Sunday, as President Donald Trump's attacks against the Catholic pontiff have drawn criticism across the political spectrum. The meeting, the first known in-person encounter between Leo and a U.S. cabinet official in nearly a year, is expected to take place on Thursday, said a senior source familiar with the pope's plans, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter. The pope, who has taken on a forceful new speaking style, emerged in recent weeks as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli led war with Iran, after previously criticising the Trump administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. Trump sharply criticised Leo on social media several times in April, at one point calling the pontiff "terrible", in attacks that drew wide attention while Leo was on a four-nation Africa tour. Rubio last met Leo, the first U.S. pope, in May 2025, alongside Vice President JD Vance. The two U.S. officials attended the new po
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