US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left the Vatican after meeting Pope Leo XIV in what were described as "friendly" and "constructive" talks by a US official, following President Donald Trump's repeated attacks on the pontiff over the Iran war.
Mr Rubio spent two and a half hours at the Vatican before been driven away in a convoy under tight security.
He met initially with Pope Leo before sitting down with senior Vatican officials, including Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Mr Rubio's meeting with Pope Leo, the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, appeared to have run longer than planned.
The pope arrived 40 minutes late for a subsequent appointment with Vatican staffers, and thanked them for being patient.
Vatican photos of the meeting showed Leo and Mr Rubio shaking hands before sitting down together at the pope's official desk in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
Leo, the first US pope, drew Mr Trump's ire after becoming a firm critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration's hardline anti-immigration policies.
The president has kept up an unprecedented series of public attacks on the pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
On Monday, Mr Trump falsely suggested the pope believed it was okay for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and said Leo was "endangering a lot of Catholics" by opposing the war.
Pope Leo told journalists after the latest attack that he was spreading the Christian message of peace.
The pope also firmly rejected the idea that he supported nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church teaches are immoral.
"The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace," said the pope. "The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear arms, on that there is no doubt."
As Mr Rubio arrived at the Vatican earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving from a meeting with the pontiff. He told journalists he and the pope discussed how to strengthen international cooperation and generate hope in the world.
"It is still possible that the world does not have to descend into chaos, if good people, people of goodwill, find one another and act in unity," Mr Tusk said, speaking in Polish.
US ambassador expected 'frank' conversation
Pope Leo, who on Friday marks his first year leading the Catholic Church, has grown more outspoken on the world stage in recent weeks.
During a four-nation African tour last month he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership and said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants", in comments he later said were not aimed directly at Mr Trump.
Mr Rubio is Catholic, as is Vice President JD Vance. The two met Pope Leo a year ago after attending the pope's inaugural Mass.
Mr Rubio said at a White House briefing on Tuesday that he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world with the pontiff.
He arrived in Rome this morning without any press accompanying him on his plane, which is unusual for a US secretary of state.
The US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, told journalists on Tuesday that the conversation between the pope and Mr Rubio was likely to be "frank".
Mr Rubio is visiting Rome for two days. He is due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope from Mr Trump, on Friday.
Ms Meloni's defence minister has also said the war in Iran puts US leadership at risk.
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