VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV had tried during his first year as pontiff to insist that his essential role was that of a pastor accompanying his flock. President Donald Trump’s continuing criticisms – and Leo’s increasingly bold retorts – complicated the effort and overshadowed Friday’s anniversary of Leo’s election.
Leo spent the eve of the 1-year mark meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had come to the Vatican on a fence-mending visit. Trump’s repeated broadsides against history’s first U.S. pope created an unprecedented back-and-forth on the Iran war that strained U.S.-Holy See relations.
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A flag from the United States waves in the crowd as Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on May 11, 2025.
AP file photo / Bernat Armangue
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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
AP file photo / Alessandra Tarantino
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