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Rubio Seeks to Ease Tensions with US Pope

Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Swiss Guard recruits at the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican on May 6, 2026. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Swiss Guard recruits at the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican on May 6, 2026. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
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Rubio Seeks to Ease Tensions with US Pope

Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Swiss Guard recruits at the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican on May 6, 2026. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
Pope Leo XIV attends the swearing-in ceremony for 28 new Swiss Guard recruits at the Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican on May 6, 2026. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

America's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will visit the first US pope, Leo XIV, on Thursday, seeking to ease tensions between Washington and the Vatican while also promoting President Donald Trump's interests.

The US secretary of state flies in weeks after Trump's extraordinary criticism of Leo, the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, over his anti-war stance, said AFP.

Rubio, a devout Catholic, sought to play down the rift ahead of the private audience, which will be followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

For the Vatican's part, "we'll listen to him", Parolin told reporters on Wednesday, noting that Washington initiated the meeting.

- A lot to talk about -

The Trump administration had celebrated the election one year ago -- May 8, 2025 -- of Leo, the first US pontiff in history.

But its relations with the Holy See have since sharply deteriorated.

In an unprecedented attack, Trump last month took to social media to call the pope "WEAK on crime, and terrible for foreign policy".

His remarks came after Leo called for peace in the Middle East war launched by Israel and the United States, and condemned a threat by Trump to destroy Iranian civilization as "truly unacceptable".

Before flying to Rome, Rubio said the trip had been planned before the clash, "and obviously we had some stuff that happened".

"There's a lot to talk about with the Vatican," he told reporters at the White House, noting particularly the issue of religious freedom, on which the Vatican and Washington agree.

At an event at the Vatican on Wednesday, Parolin said: "I imagine we'll talk about everything that's happened in recent days -- we can't avoid touching on these topics."

But he said they would also discuss international issues, including Latin America, Cuba and Lebanon.

The Holy See has long played an active role in Cuban diplomacy, while Rubio -- a Cuban-American -- has led the Trump administration's efforts to pressure the communist government.

Leo also knows Latin America well, having spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, even acquiring Peruvian citizenship.

- Pope being pope -

Despite the peace-making attempt, Trump again criticized the pope in an interview late Monday, alleging that Leo believes it is "OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon".

"I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people," Trump said of the pontiff.

Asked about the latest comments on Tuesday, Leo said that the Catholic Church's mission was to "preach peace" and the Gospel.

"If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully," he told reporters.

"The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the value of God's word."

Parolin said Wednesday that attacking the pope "seems a little strange to me", adding: "The pope is being the pope."

Leo's nationality means his words carry more weight in Washington than those of his predecessors -- and he has used them, notably criticizing the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.

But it was the pontiff's increasing anti-war rhetoric that triggered Trump's ire.

The pope and Rubio met for the first time last year at the Vatican alongside US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, just days after Leo's election.

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World

Trump to Host Lula in Test of Fitful Relationship

Lula and Trump, who command the largest economies in the Americas, have had a turbulent relationship, though Trump has hailed their 'excellent chemistry'. Evaristo Sa, Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Lula and Trump, who command the largest economies in the Americas, have had a turbulent relationship, though Trump has hailed their 'excellent chemistry'. Evaristo Sa, Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
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Trump to Host Lula in Test of Fitful Relationship

Lula and Trump, who command the largest economies in the Americas, have had a turbulent relationship, though Trump has hailed their 'excellent chemistry'. Evaristo Sa, Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Lula and Trump, who command the largest economies in the Americas, have had a turbulent relationship, though Trump has hailed their 'excellent chemistry'. Evaristo Sa, Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File

US President Donald Trump will host his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House on Thursday -- the latest test of the ideological opposites' tenuous relationship, with security and investment topping the agenda.

At the helm of the Americas' two largest economies, the leaders have clashed over the years but worked to bury the hatchet in recent months.

Lula, as the Brazilian is widely known, is looking to boost his image domestically ahead of October elections that are expected to be close, said AFP.

Trump is expected to seek greater investment access to Brazil's strategically important minerals supply as well as cooperation on security matters.

Trump hit Brazil with steep tariffs on all its products in July as punishment for what he called a "witch hunt" against his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup.

Lula, who once said that Trump wants to be "emperor of the World," took a strong, public stand against the economic measures. He has also slammed the United States' removal of Nicolas Maduro and the war it launched alongside Israel against Iran.

But relations appeared to warm after a series of meetings and calls between the two leaders, with Trump at one point hailing the "excellent chemistry" between the two men. The US tariffs have since been partially reduced.

Lula heads to the meeting politically weakened after a series of defeats in Congress. He is tied with Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in opinion polls ahead of the election.

The veteran leftist is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in office.

Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, told AFP that Lula will want to "strengthen the personal rapport with Trump" to reduce the risk of US interference in the elections, such as overt displays of support for Flavio.

- Fight against gangs -

Security is the main concern of Brazilian voters ahead of the vote, and combating organized crime is high on the agenda of the meeting.

Finance Minister Dario Durigan, who is part of the delegation, said Wednesday that Brazil wanted to expand cooperation in fighting cartels.

The US and Brazil in April signed a deal to share information to combat arms and drug trafficking, such as X-ray data on containers traveling from the US to Brazil.

Trump has made the fight against so-called "narcoterrorism" a priority of his second term, designating major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and using it to justify the ouster of Maduro.

Stuenkel said Brazil was keen to show it was doing its part and hopes to "reduce the risk" of Washington designating Brazil's powerful gangs, Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), as terrorist groups.

"The US increasingly sees these groups as sophisticated transnational criminal organizations with regional reach," said Rebecca Bill Chavez, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.

"But in Brazil, there is real concern about the legal, political, and sovereignty implications of applying a terrorism framework to criminal groups."

- Scramble for rare earths -

Also up for discussion are Brazil's vast reserves of rare earth minerals -- crucial for the production of high-tech goods -- which Washington is scrambling to invest in.

The country holds the second-largest reserves of the critical elements in the world after China.

"Of course, foreign investment in Brazil is welcome, but we want to...drive industrialization within Brazil, generating high-quality jobs in partnership with our universities," said Durigan.

Late on Wednesday, Brazilian lawmakers advanced a bill that would incentivize mineral exploitation. It will next be debated in the senate.

Washington is also investigating Brazil for unfair trade practices, such as whether the country's free PIX electronic payment system is undermining the competitiveness of US companies.

Launched in 2020, PIX has revolutionized payments in Brazil and surpassed the use of credit and debit cards, with seven billion transactions in January alone, according to the central bank.

World

Japan Fires Missiles during Drills, Drawing China Rebuke

Japan fired Type-88 missiles during military exercises in the Philippines. Jam STA ROSA / AFP
Japan fired Type-88 missiles during military exercises in the Philippines. Jam STA ROSA / AFP
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Japan Fires Missiles during Drills, Drawing China Rebuke

Japan fired Type-88 missiles during military exercises in the Philippines. Jam STA ROSA / AFP
Japan fired Type-88 missiles during military exercises in the Philippines. Jam STA ROSA / AFP

Japan fired surface-to-ship missiles and sank an old warship in waters between the Philippines and Taiwan as part of major military exercises that include US forces, angering China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accelerated Japan's shift towards a more muscular defense policy, further casting off -- with US encouragement -- Tokyo's pacifist stance in place since the end of World War II.

The firing on Wednesday of two Type-88 missiles formed part of exercises in the Philippines between US, Australian, Filipino and Japanese troops as well as contingents from France, New Zealand and Canada.

Japanese and Philippine defense ministers observed the launch in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The two projectiles hit the target, a retired Philippines navy corvette, around 75 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, causing it to sink, officials said.

The 19-day Balikatan exercises, meaning "shoulder-to-shoulder" and which wrap up Friday, have involved some 17,000 military personnel including Japanese combat troops for the first time.

Japan in recent years has moved to obtain "counterstrike" capabilities while hiking military spending and deepening security cooperation with regional allies including the Philippines.

Last month Takaichi's government relaxed the country's self-imposed rules to allow exports of lethal military hardware, seeking to grab a larger slice of the booming global market.

Last year Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a landmark order from the Australian navy -- Takaichi was in Canberra this week -- to supply 11 warships.

- Missile drill angers China -

Long-frosty China-Japan ties have worsened after Takaichi, seen as an arch-conservative and security hawk, suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious over the comments, advising its citizens to avoid Japan and imposing trade restrictions.

On Wednesday Beijing lashed out at the missile test, calling it "another example of the Japanese right-wing forces' push for accelerated remilitarization of Japan."

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular briefing that "not only has Japan, the aggressor, failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes, it has even sent military forces overseas and fired offensive missiles under the pretext of security cooperation."

Yee Kuang Heng, a professor in international security at the University of Tokyo, said that the missile test to sink a ship was "particularly significant as island defense is a shared concern of both Japan and the Philippines."

Another important component was the participation of Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) in counter-landing drills with US, Philippine and Canadian forces, Heng added.

"Balikatan 2026 also saw the maiden deployment of Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft for air-sea rescue and medical procedures, especially important given the long sea lanes in the region," Heng told AFP.

World

Two Drones from Russia Crash in Latvia, Damage Oil Storage Facility

Latvian servicemen with their armored vehicles participate in a military parade in Aizkraukle, Latvia, 04 May 2026. EPA/VALDA KALNINA
Latvian servicemen with their armored vehicles participate in a military parade in Aizkraukle, Latvia, 04 May 2026. EPA/VALDA KALNINA
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Two Drones from Russia Crash in Latvia, Damage Oil Storage Facility

Latvian servicemen with their armored vehicles participate in a military parade in Aizkraukle, Latvia, 04 May 2026. EPA/VALDA KALNINA
Latvian servicemen with their armored vehicles participate in a military parade in Aizkraukle, Latvia, 04 May 2026. EPA/VALDA KALNINA

Two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed, the Latvian army said on Thursday morning.

The drones were probably launched by Ukraine against targets in Russia, Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Spruds told national broadcaster LSM.

Military jets of the multinational NATO Baltic air police mission have been summoned to the site, he added. Four ⁠empty oil tanks ⁠were damaged on Thursday morning at a storage facility in Rezekne, about 40 km (25 miles) from the Russian border, and possible debris of a crashed drone was found at the site, police and firefighters said.

The firefighters extinguished ⁠a smoldering area of around 30 square meters in one of the tanks, Reuters reported.

Latvian authorities had issued drone alerts to residents along the Russian border at 4:09 a.m. local time (0109 GMT) on Thursday, asking them to stay indoors.

All schools will be closed in Rezekne on Thursday, the municipality said. Several stray Ukrainian drones hit Latvia and its NATO neighbors Estonia and Lithuania in ⁠late ⁠March. One slammed into a chimney at a local power station while another crash-landed in a frozen lake and exploded.

The Ukrainian drones were believed to have been launched to strike military targets in Russia.

The three Baltic countries have never allowed their territories and airspace to be used for drone attacks against targets in Russia, their foreign ministers said in April.