Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday met with Pope Leo XIV and discussed an array of issues amid ongoing tensions between the White House and the Vatican over the Iran war.

"Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. "The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity."

The pope has been an outspoken critic of the Iran war and of President Donald Trump's mass deportation initiatives. Trump, in turn, has repeatedly criticized the pope and insisted that he was working to bring peace and solve the country's problems.

The Iran war, in particular, has attracted considerable back and forth, with the pope condemning the conflict as unnecessary.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.