USA: ambassador predicts “frank” dialogue between Rubio and pope

The official trip by the head of American diplomacy comes after President Donald Trump criticized the leader of the Catholic Church due to the war in the Middle East.

“Nations have differences, and I believe one of the ways to resolve them is through fraternity and authentic dialogue,” Burch told reporters during an event hosted by the American embassy at the Gregorian University in Rome.

The ambassador added that he sees Rubio’s visit in this “spirit” of dialogue. “He (Rubio) must seek a frank conversation about US politics, to dialogue,” he stated.

The American Secretary of State, who is Catholic, met with Pope Leo XIV a year ago, when a US delegation attended the pontiff’s inauguration mass.

Asked whether Rubio’s trip would mean an attempt to repair the relationship between Trump and the pope, the ambassador said: “I don’t accept the idea that there is some kind of deep rupture.”

According to him, Rubio is visiting the Vatican so that the parties can “understand each other better and, if there are differences, certainly talk about them.”