U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Rome . The plane landed at Ciampino Airport amid tight security. The State Department chief, responsible for U.S. foreign policy, left the airport around 9 a.m. in a long motorcade.
Rubio is expected at 11:15 in the Courtyard of San Damaso and will then be accompanied by Pope Leo for the audience scheduled for 11:30 . On paper, a half-hour meeting is expected (the Pope already has another engagement scheduled for 12), but the length of time it actually lasts and the tone of the statements could also be a key to understanding the latest exchanges between the Church and the Vatican.
Leone expressed his confidence in this event, hoping for mutual "openness" and "understanding." But the line remains the same: the Church "reads and interprets the dynamics of history starting from the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its forms and announcing" peace, the Pontiff said yesterday morning at the general audience. "The Church ," Leone emphasized yesterday, speaking to the faithful in St. Peter's Square, "is invested with the mission of pronouncing clear words to reject everything that mortifies life and impedes its development, and to take a stand for the poor, the exploited, the victims of violence and war." A clear message, and it remains to be seen whether it will be understood, because the latest statements not only from Donald Trump but also from Rubi himself or the desire to reiterate one's reasons and positions emerges.
After his meeting with the Pontiff, Rubio will meet with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin , who yesterday emphasized that "the United States is and remains an essential interlocutor of the Holy See." They will discuss various issues, including Latin America, the Cuban question, Lebanon, and Gaza.
Tomorrow, Rubio will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Defense Minister Crosetto to re-establish dialogue after the blows delivered, again, by the tycoon.
(Unioneonline)