See Pope Leo and Marco Rubio’s Vatican gift exchange
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican following President Trump’s comments regarding the Pope over the Iran war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 7 and presented the head of the Catholic Church with a crystal soccer ball.
Mr. Rubio’s trip to Italy comes as his boss, President Donald Trump, has slammed Mr. Leo, accusing him of being “soft” on crime and nuclear weapons and accusing the first American-born pope of “endangering” Catholics with his opposition to the Iran war.
The Secretary of State spent approximately two hours at the Vatican, meeting with the Pope, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and others.
The meeting “underscores the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a news release after the meeting.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to discuss the situation in the Middle East and common interests in the Western Hemisphere,” he added.
Video of Leo and Rubio exchanging gifts goes viral
In the now-viral video, Leo and Rubio, accompanied by his wife Janet Dusdeves Rubio, exchange gifts, with the secretary of state offering the pope a crystal soccer ball.
“I know you love baseball, but that means it has the State Department stamp on it,” Rubio said. “What do you get for someone who has everything? I thought, ‘Oh, Crystal (soccer).’
Meanwhile, Leo offered Rubio a pen made of olive wood, which many interpreted as a peace offering.
“Olives are, of course, plants of peace,” Leo said, pointing to the top of the olive tree pen. “This is the emblem of the Pope here.”
After the meeting, the Vatican also issued a statement saying the meeting was “sincere” and included a discussion of “countries affected by war, political tensions and the difficult humanitarian situation, and the need for persistent efforts towards peace.”
Social media users question Rubio’s gift
After a video of Mr. Rubio giving Mr. Leo a crystal football started circulating, social media users took to the occasion and many questioned the secretary of state’s gift.
“Why in the name of God would Marco Rubio give the Pope a crystal soccer ball?” one X user wrote.
Another user wrote: “This is really heartwarming. Two guys exchanging symbolic tokens for things the other doesn’t care about (like soccer or peace).”
Some users sympathized with Rubio, with one saying: “Seriously, what can you get the pope? For example, is there a limit on the amount? Should we ask the cardinals what they got him?”
USA TODAY’s Franchesca Chambers contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
