Adventists on Secretary Marco Rubio meeting with Pope Leo during Vatican Visit (An AI Response)

Adventists on Marco Rubio / Pope Leo Vatican meeting


On May 7, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in a high-profile visit aimed at stabilizing diplomatic relations following public friction between the Trump administration and the Holy See. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

While official Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) organizations have not released a formal collective statement on this specific May 2026 meeting, the event aligns with long-standing Adventist prophetic interpretations regarding the "union of church and state."

Key Details of the Rubio-Vatican Meeting

• Purpose: The meeting was framed as an effort to "cool the rhetoric" and return to traditional diplomatic channels after President Trump publicly criticized the Pope, particularly regarding the war with Iran.
• Discussion Topics: Rubio and Pope Leo discussed Middle East peace efforts, humanitarian aid in the Western Hemisphere (specifically Cuba), religious freedom, and the impact of AI.
• Diplomatic Gestures: Rubio presented the Pope with a crystal football paperweight bearing the State Department seal, while the Pope gifted Rubio an olive-wood pen symbolizing peace. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Typical Adventist Perspectives on Such Meetings

Adventists often view high-level political meetings with the Vatican through the lens of eschatology (end-time beliefs). Common themes in Adventist discourse regarding these interactions include:

• Church and State: Adventists strongly emphasize the separation of church and state. Diplomatic "fence-mending" between the U.S. government and the Papacy is frequently interpreted as a precursor to the "healing of the deadly wound" mentioned in Revelation 13, leading toward a global religious-political alliance.
• The "Sunday Law" Concern: A central Adventist belief involves a future "National Sunday Law" in the United States. Events that show the U.S. executive branch seeking counsel or reconciliation with the Vatican are often monitored by Adventist commentators (such as those at Liberty Magazine or Adventist Review) as potential steps toward this prophetic scenario.
• Role of Religious Freedom: While Rubio highlighted "shared concerns" over religious freedom during his visit, Adventist religious liberty advocates often remain cautious. They watch to see if such cooperation favors traditionalist religious agendas over the individual rights of minority faiths. [1, 2, 3]

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

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P.S. 

Marco Rubio spends two hours at the Vatican https://youtube.com/shorts/tXoqNwXa75M?si=Vi_VT9nazU8KiLH4

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Trump and the Supreme Court are undermining democracy. Here's what voters can do now.

Trump and the Supreme Court are undermining democracy. Here's what voters can do now.

Opinion
Guest Voices

Voters depart a polling place at McDonald Elementary School, Nov. 5, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP/Charlie Neibergall)

Thomas Reese

View Author Profile

May 6, 2026

President Donald Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court have destroyed decades of progress in American democracy by gutting the Voting Rights Act last week and instituting a gerrymandering war to win more elections in red states.

The Democrats have responded by gerrymandering blue states. The result will be fewer Black candidates elected to office and fewer competitive elections where the voters have a real choice between the parties.

How did this happen?

Trump knows he and his supporters are going to be in trouble in the November midterm election. The party controlling the White House traditionally loses seats during midterm elections. These losses are greater if the president is unpopular, as is Trump currently. But the losses can only occur in districts that are competitive. It's very unlikely districts that are overwhelmingly Republican will go blue.

So now, Trump and other Republicans are trying to protect their majority in the House of Representatives by asking Republican officials in red states like Texas to redraw the House district lines to find him additional safe Republican seats.

The process of redrawing electoral district lines to favor one party is called gerrymandering, after Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry in 1812 backed a redistricting plan favoring his own party, the Democrat-Republicans. One of the districts looked like a salamander, so the press combined the governor's name with salamander to produce the name "gerrymander."

In response to Trump's request for five additional seats in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott pushed the redistricting plan through a special session of the state legislature. But then, voters in California and Virginia adopted redistricting plans that give Democrats additional House seats.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now trying to get additional House seats for Republicans even though the state constitution forbids partisan gerrymandering. Other Southern states are moving in the same direction.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is legal under the U.S. Constitution. Whether it is legal under state law depends on a particular state's constitution and laws.

Legal or not, gerrymandering is bad for democracy. It means that in the general election, the voters have no choice in most districts because one party has an overwhelming majority so that the other party does not have a chance.

In addition, even if a state is evenly split across parties, gerrymandering can give a large majority of the seats to the party that controls redistricting. As the League of Women Voters and others have noted, gerrymandering "allows officials to choose their voters rather than voters choosing who represents them."

Rubio attempts to mend relations with Pope Leo in Vatican meeting after Trump’s criticisms

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Pope Leo Meets Marco Rubio at Vatican Amid Growing Trump Dispute on Iran War, Immigration | AC1G

Pope Leo XIV to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7

Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (@Vatican Media)


Pope Leo XIV will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7 at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. They had already met a year ago following the Mass marking the official beginning of the Pope’s pontificate.



Vatican News

At 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting after media reports had been published on Sunday. Rubio is expected to arrive at 11:15 a.m.

The U.S. Secretary of State had already met the Pope, who is originally from Chicago, on May 18, 2025, following the Mass for the beginning of his Petrine ministry. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also greeted the Pope during the same event.

On the day following that Mass, on May 19, 2025, a bilateral meeting took place between Pope Leo XIV and both Vance and Rubio.
Meeting with Polish PM

On Thursday 7, the same morning of his meeting with the U.S. delegation, the Pope will also meet the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.

According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the audience will take place at 9:00 a.m.

Source

Marco Rubio Arrives At Vatican Amid Trump's Feud With Pope Leo Over Iran War | Crux

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JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2026

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2026

Proclamations
May 4, 2026

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

This Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence, and we celebrate their unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.

In his letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1790, President George Washington beautifully said, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” Since the earliest days of our Republic, Jewish Americans have helped build the cause of liberty and sustain the greatness of our Nation. Among them was the iconic Haym Salomon, an early supporter of the war for independence. As stories tell us, Salomon was instrumental in the success of our Continental Congress and Founding Fathers, and rallied support for freedom. He was a zealous advocate against tyranny, and even after imprisonment by the British Crown, he continued his work in defense of freedom. In the end, he gave everything to the success of the American Revolution. Like so many Jewish Americans who follow in his footsteps, Salomon’s legacy stands as a testament to the unshakable belief in the American promise.

In the same letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, President Washington proclaimed that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” Under my leadership, we are aggressively fighting the violence against Jewish Americans that increased under my predecessor, prosecuting hateful criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and working to end the scourge of anti-Semitism throughout our institutions, especially on college campuses. As President, I will never stop fighting to protect our birthright of religious freedom — a sacred right that continues to guide our Nation, drawing us closer to the Almighty each and every day.

Throughout this historic year, we rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and rededicate ourselves to the cause of liberty and justice for all. In special honor of 250 glorious years of American independence and on the weekend of Rededicate 250 — a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving — Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath. From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.

This month, we celebrate the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our way of life, we honor their role in shaping the story of our Nation, and we remember that religious devotion, learning, and service to others are enduring pillars of a thriving culture. Through every trial and triumph, the contributions of Jewish Americans have shaped our past, have strengthened our communities, and will continue to inspire American greatness for generations to come.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon Americans to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies. I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat to celebrate our 250th year.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

​​​​​​DONALD J. TRUMP

Source

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Panama Papers: 10 years on, the promises and the failures

The Panama Papers exposed the systems and mechanisms that enable corruption worldwide. A decade later, Transparency International assesses what has changed and what hasn't

Panama Papers, 10 years on. Image: Transparency International
02 April 2026


Summary

• The Panama Papers exposed how hidden company ownership and corporate service providers helped move and conceal wealth linked to corruption and crime.
• A decade on, some progress has been made: more countries now require beneficial ownership registers, anti-money laundering rules have tightened, and Mossack Fonseca shut down.
• Major loopholes still remain and the core system has survived: corruption still thrives through a parallel financial world built to keep dirty money safe.
• Transparency International is pushing for accessible ownership data, tougher enforcement, stronger regulation and supervision of gatekeeper professions, better asset recovery and real cross-border cooperation.

In 2016, the Panama Papers pulled back the curtain on a financial system designed to operate in secrecy. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, working with Süddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 media partners, analysed a cache of 11.5 million leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. The investigation revealed how anonymous shell companies and offshore accounts were used to conceal wealth, obscure ownership and, in many cases, facilitate corruption and crime.

The level of global exposure, the vast sums moved through the system and its sheer geographic reach were unprecedented – and the first consequences followed swiftly.

Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson resigned within days of being linked to an offshore company. Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif was later disqualified from office following investigations triggered by the leak. Vast hidden financial networks were uncovered, reportedly connected to associates of Russian president Vladimir Putin, while figures close to power in China, Ukraine and across Latin America were also named.

What shocked the world was not only who was named and involved, but how routine it all appeared. Anonymous shell companies, nominee directors and complex offshore structures were not fringe tools – they were standard practice in a parallel financial system operating with minimal scrutiny.

DISRUPTION

Volume 45 Issue Five May 2026

Last Trumpet Ministries ∙ PO Box 806 ∙ Beaver Dam, WI 53916

Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” - Psalm 71:1

As we enter May 2026, the United States is still at war with Iran. The events surrounding this conflict have taken many twists and turns in recent weeks. Although the fighting itself has quieted, there remains great uncertainty about when, or if, it might resume. Nevertheless, the consequences of this war are being felt around the world and threaten to disrupt everyday life in unprecedented ways. In this edition of the Last Trumpet, we will look back at these recent events and consider their potential implications for the future.

A Close Call

As April began, the coalition between the United States and Israel was heavily involved in combat operations against Iran. From the start of the war, coalition forces have mostly imposed their will over Iranian territory without significant resistance. However, on April 3, 2026, an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory. The two crew members onboard were forced to eject from the plane, leading to the dire possibility of American soldiers falling into the hands of the Iranian regime. For the first time since the war began, American forces would set foot on Iranian soil to conduct two daring rescue missions in a high-stakes race against time. (1)

The pilot was located and found within hours, but the whereabouts of the weapons systems officer remained a mystery. (2) To pinpoint his location, the U.S. military enlisted the help of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA used its secret technology to locate the missing soldier who had been stuck behind enemy lines for more than 24 hours. “This was the ultimate needle in a haystack, but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities,” an unnamed U.S. official told Axios. (3)

The search was conducted with great urgency. Not only were the Americans looking for the soldier, but so too were the Iranians. “This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” wrote American President Donald Trump. (4)

In an effort to find the American soldier before he could be rescued, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps offered a reward of about $66,000 to any Iranian citizen who could locate him. (5) This is a tremendous amount of money for an Iranian citizen, and many were no doubt highly motivated to find the missing airman.

With the soldier safely recovered, Trump recounted some of the details of the rescue mission to Axios. He explained that the military aircraft had been hit by a shoulder-fired missile. “They got lucky,” Trump admitted. He then explained that American officials were worried at first that the soldier had already been captured by the Iranians because of an unusual final radio message. “God is good,” the airman said as he ejected from the aircraft. “What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump opined. However, those who knew the soldier told officials the man was religious, and so they moved forward with a rescue mission involving two hundred soldiers. (6) Had Iran been successful in its endeavors to locate the airman, it could have changed the trajectory of the war. Capturing the soldier would have given the regime leverage in negotiations and could have easily resulted in the American being imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Thankfully, he was rescued before Iran got their hands on him. God is good, indeed.

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Nevada’s hidden earthquake risk revealed as Las Vegas, Reno shake

Items are scattered across grocery store aisle floors in Fallon, Nev., after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake on April 13.
(Kaitlin Ritchie via Associated Press)

By Rong-Gong Lin II
Staff Writer 

May 4, 2026 3 AM PT

A recent series of earthquakes in Nevada has served as a jolting reminder of the state’s seismic risk.

It started with a scary earthquake near Reno, then more unsettling shaking near Las Vegas. Neither earthquake caused significant damage, but it has gotten Nevada talking about the large geological forces that caused them.

Although California is known for its seismic activity, experts say, the danger does not stop at the state line. There are many fault systems that crisscross the California-Nevada border, and one area scientists worry about is the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to Christie Rowe, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.

“There are some big faults under the lake there,” she said. “They’ve had pretty major earthquakes in the past.”

The latest sizable quake in the Silver State in recent days struck at 1:17 a.m. Friday, a magnitude 5.2 about 40 miles east of Reno. Just two days earlier, a magnitude 4.4 rumbled in the desert about 60 miles north of Sin City, where some people reported weak shaking.

The area east of Reno also endured a flurry of seismic activity earlier in April. The most powerful of that series was a magnitude 5.7 earthquake 45 miles east of the city that was powerful enough to cause moderate-to-strong shaking in the small town of Silver Springs and knock items off shelves and out of cupboards, according to media reports. There were no reports of significant injuries or damage from that quake, which hit on April 13.

The spate of quakes is a reminder that earthquakes are indeed a threat to Nevada — less profound than the seismic risk in California, for sure, but every bit as real.

Who will survive in the new world? RT’s new special project offers exclusive insights

RT presents the Social Well-Being Index, a new way to measure whether societies can sustain themselves, protect life, and remain cohesive

Published 23 Apr, 2026 13:08 | Updated 24 Apr, 2026 11:23

© RT


What makes a prosperous nation?

The West has one answer: money.

For decades, Western institutions have measured things like GDP, sustainability and ‘human development’ to show which countries are doing well in the world.

But do these things indicate what is truly important for humans as a species and a society? Heavily skewed towards individual consumerism, they downplay tradition and paint the growth of human population as a problem – to the point where family is seen as an atavism and ‘child-free’ appears to be the lifestyle of the progressive future.

Such views are very clearly filtered through the prism of the modern liberal West – so much so that they serve as soft-power tool for promoting Western ‘values’. If your country scores high on a Western index of well-being or development, it doesn’t really mean it’s ‘doing well’ by itself – it simply means it is aligned with a certain world-view.

The emerging new multipolar world order needs new benchmarks, which is why RT is introducing the Social Well-Being Index – a new and unique way to measure the status of nations, which takes into account the most fundamental and objective criteria of societal health to create a deeper understanding of global development trends.

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