VATICAN CITY // US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the Vatican May 17 with Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and several other Church leaders, speaking in part about efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
In the meeting with Cardinal Parolin and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Rubio communicated the United States’ congratulations ahead of Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass May 18, according to a press release from US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. US Vice President JD Vance and Rubio are both set to attend the Mass, which will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Square.
Bruce’s statement added that during the meeting, Rubio, Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher “reaffirmed the strong partnership between the United States and the Holy See and discussed our shared commitment to ending the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The United States stands firm in support of freedom of religion and the Secretary looks forward to working with the Holy See to protect these rights globally.”
In an address to world diplomatic corps May 16, Pope Leo had emphasized the importance of protecting religious freedom and ongoing efforts towards peace, saying that he hopes officials can work together to “build a world in which everyone can lead an authentically human life in truth, justice and peace.”
“It is my hope that this will be the case everywhere,” he said, “starting with those places that suffer most grievously, like Ukraine and the Holy Land.”
On May 18 Rubio also met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, discussing the immediate need to end the Russia-Ukraine war and expressing gratitude for the Vatican’s actions such as working towards prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred, according to the US Department of State press release.
“The United States values its partnership with the Holy See as we work to advance freedom of religion around the world and end the Russia-Ukraine war,” Rubio stated in a social media post after the meeting with the Church leaders.
Rubio also spoke by phone May 17 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio posted to X that in his conversation with Lavrov he emphasized the message of President Donald Trump: “the death and destruction must stop. The U.S. has presented a strong peace plan and we welcome the Prisoner of War exchange agreement reached in Istanbul. Let’s not miss this huge opportunity. The time for ending this war is now.”
Trump posted a message May 17 to his Truth Social account stating that on May 19, he will speak to President Vladimir Putin on the phone about “stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade.”
After this he will speak individually to President Vlodimyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, followed by a conversation with the Ukrainian president and members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end,” Trump concluded. “God bless us all!!!”