Pope Leo XIV Just Gave Marco Rubio A 'Plant Of Peace' Pen After Trump Accused Him Of Supporting Nukes

Pope Leo XIV handed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio an olive-wood 'plant of peace' pen at the Vatican on Thursday, just two days after Donald Trump accused both Rubio and the pontiff of effectively backing nuclear weapons for Iran.

The meeting in Rome came after weeks of rancour between Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, with the Pope repeatedly denouncing the conflict and urging ceasefires, and Trump responding by alleging that the Catholic leader was putting believers at risk.

Rubio's visit was widely seen in Washington and Rome as an attempt to steady relations between the US administration and the Vatican, which have frayed as the war has dragged on and political temperatures have risen.

'Plant Of Peace' Gift From Pope Leo XIV To Marco Rubio

Rubio arrived at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday for his audience with Pope Leo XIV and, as protocol requires, came bearing a gift.

He presented the Pope with a small glass football etched with the US State Department seal, joking that he knew the pontiff was a 'baseball guy' but had settled on 'a crystal football' for a man who 'has everything.'

The offering landed with a thud on social media. Images of the clear, rounded keepsake quickly circulated online, prompting a torrent of mockery from users who saw it as a bland, last-minute choice rather than a carefully considered diplomatic gesture.

'Did he pick that up in the duty-free shop?' one user on X asked. Another dubbed the secretary of state 'Lil' Marco (DJ name)' and dismissed the item with a shrug: 'A paperweight? That's the best you could do?'

Others imagined Rubio rifling through 'the State Dept gift closet' or grabbing the bauble at 'an airport store,' with one commenter suggesting he might as well have gone for a snow globe.

The Pope's own gift to Rubio was pointedly symbolic. Leo XIV presented an olive-wood pen and described its material as coming from the 'plant of peace.'

In Catholic tradition, olive branches and olive wood are often used as emblems of reconciliation and an end to bloodshed, and the Pope's choice was widely interpreted as a not-so-subtle response to the hawkish rhetoric swirling around Iran.

Neither the Vatican nor Rubio publicly framed the exchange as a rebuke to Trump. Yet the contrast between a mass-produced-looking souvenir and a handcrafted symbol of peace was difficult to miss.

Trump's Claims On Nukes Put Pope Leo XIV And Trump On Collision Course

The meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Marco Rubio followed Trump's latest volley of criticism against the pontiff. In an interview on Tuesday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the Salem News network, Trump claimed the Pope was 'endangering a lot of Catholics' because, in Trump's telling, Leo XIV 'thinks it's fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.'

Trump went further, saying the pontiff 'would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don't think that's very good.' He concluded, 'I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it's up to the pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.'

There is, however, no record of Pope Leo XIV ever endorsing nuclear weapons for Iran or any other state. According to the Vatican's own public statements, he has instead been a consistent critic of the Iran war and a vocal advocate for ceasefires and negotiations.

On nuclear policy, the Catholic Church has for decades maintained opposition to nuclear arms as a category, a position Leo explicitly reiterated this week.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Pope directly addressed Trump's broadside. The Church, he said, 'for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.'

That line was not a new doctrine but a reminder of a long-standing stance that places moral weight on disarmament and non-proliferation rather than strategic deterrence.

Leo XIV also linked his position on the US–Israeli war in Iran to Scripture rather than geopolitics. He told journalists that from the 'first moment' of his election, approaching the anniversary of his papacy, his message had been simple, 'I said 'Peace be with you.'

'The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,' he continued. 'If someone wants to criticise me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth. And so I hope simply to be listened to about the value of the Word of God.' Those remarks were a clear attempt to push back on Trump's framing without engaging directly with every accusation.

Leo XIV avoided naming the President, but the target of his comments was obvious.