(LifeSiteNews) — The U.S. Department of State posted a video highlighting the Catholic Church’s longstanding history and the importance of the papacy.
On May 19, the U.S. Department of State’s X account published a pro-Catholic video of Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing his recent trip to the Vatican for the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
“@SecRubio had the honor of visiting the Vatican and attending His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square,” the post description read.
“As the first American pontiff begins his sacred ministry, the Secretary looks forward to the opportunities for continued collaboration,” it continued.
.@SecRubio had the honor of visiting the Vatican and attending His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square. As the first American pontiff begins his sacred ministry, the Secretary looks forward to the opportunities for continued collaboration. pic.twitter.com/D92KUTVPgU
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 19, 2025
During the video, which features pictures of the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV, Rubio, a practicing Catholic, revealed that the Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the world.
“The only institution that was around 2,000 years ago that’s still around is the Catholic Church,” he said.
“No other human institution would have been able to survive the ups and downs the Church has faced,” Rubio continued. “What’s kept it is that he’s (the pope) the rock. And upon that rock, he built the Church.”
Rubio explained the importance of the papacy, which has allowed the power left to Peter by Jesus to be passed to a new pope after his death.
“So, as a Roman Catholic, I believe that the pope, the bishop of Rome, is the inheritor of the power that was left to Peter, by Jesus himself, and has been passed down through the generations,” he said.
On Sunday, Rubio, along with Vice President J.D. Vance, attended Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass in Rome along with hundreds of thousands of others.
The following day, on May 19, Pope Leo held a private audience with Rubio, Vance and other officials to discuss collaboration between Church and state, religious freedom, and ongoing international conflicts, per the Vatican.
Vance also presented the new pontiff with a letter from President Donald Trump inviting him to the White House and a Chicago Bears jersey bearing the pontiff’s name and the number “XIV.”
The Vatican noted that the discussion was cordial and emphasized that various issues, such as collaboration between Church and state, religious freedom, and international and humanitarian issues, were discussed.
Already, there are some tensions between Pope Leo and the Trump administration. While he was still a cardinal, Leo reposted an article criticizing Vance for arguing that citizens owe more immediate responsibility to one’s own family members and country than to those overseas – a position taught by St. Thomas Aquinas and reiterated in the “social encyclicals” of the 19th- and 20th-century popes.
Last week, Rubio discussed the new pontiff’s previous comments about the Trump administration’s immigration policies with reporters, stressing that they are not incompatible with the pontiff’s sentiments about showing compassion for migrants.
“We too are compassionate towards migrants; I would argue there’s nothing compassionate about mass migration,” the secretary of state said. “There’s nothing compassionate about open borders that allows people to be trafficked here. There’s nothing compassionate … to the American people about flooding our country with individuals that are criminals and prey on our communities.”
