Pope Urges World Leaders To Calm Global Tensions After Meeting With Marco Rubio

Pope Leo has marked his first day arsenic caput of nan Catholic Church by urging world leaders to calm world tensions and trim hatred, pursuing a gathering pinch U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio astatine nan Vatican.

The pontiff, nan first American to clasp nan office, made his entreaty connected Friday, a time aft talks pinch Rubio amidst strained relations pinch Washington.

The Pope has antecedently drawn nan ire of President Donald Trump for criticizing nan Iran war.

During a sojourn to Pompei, a modern metropolis located astir 245km (152 miles) southbound of Rome adjacent nan ruins of a famed volcano eruption, Pope Leo asked worshippers to believe for governments to move distant from violence.

He expressed his dream that God would statesman "touching hearts, calming rancour and fratricidal hatreds, and enlightening those who person typical responsibilities of government."

His discussions pinch Rubio Thursday took spot against a backdrop of repeated disparagement from Trump connected societal media.

The Vatican later confirmed that some parties had committed to improving their bilateral relations, a move described by insiders arsenic an "unusual nickname of unprecedented tensions."

The U.S. embassy to nan Holy See said connected X aft nan gathering that Leo and Rubio had discussed "topics of communal liking successful nan Western Hemisphere."

Leo, nan erstwhile Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected by nan world's cardinals to win nan precocious Pope Francis arsenic leader of nan 1.4-billion-member Church connected May 8, 2025.

Prevost, who spent decades arsenic a missionary and a bishop successful Peru earlier becoming pope, kept a comparatively debased floor plan successful his first 10 months but has been speaking forcefully against warfare and despotism successful caller weeks.

In his connection to thousands successful Pompei's main quadrate connected Friday, nan pontiff lamented that world bid is "endangered by world tensions and by an system that prefers nan arms waste and acquisition to respect for quality life."

He urged group not to go accustomed to war.

"We cannot resign ourselves to nan images of decease that nan news shows america each day," said Leo.