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Department of State Press Briefing, May 8, 2025: Rubio's Message on Pope Leo XIV and India-Pakistan De-escalation

May 8, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:39:13

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce led the department’s press briefing on May 8, 2025, according to the Department of State broadcast. Bruce opened by reading a message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the election of a new pope, in which Rubio extended, as the statement reads, his heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the 267th successor to Saint Peter, called the moment one of profound significance for the Catholic Church amid the 2025 Jubilee Year, and said, as stated in the message, that the United States looks forward to deepening its enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff.

Bruce also reported, as she stated it, that Secretary Rubio spoke that morning with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, emphasizing in both calls the need for immediate de-escalation and an end to the violence, expressing U.S. support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan. In the question period, Bruce said, as she stated it, that she had no comment on specifics of a fourth round of U.S.-Iran meetings beyond noting prior remarks by Ambassador Witkoff that something would happen in the future, and the briefing ranged, as the broadcast records, across Gaza, the Houthis, and other regional questions. Bruce closed by noting, as she stated it, that she would be traveling with the Secretary the following week and that her principal deputy, Tommy Pigott, would brief on Tuesday and Thursday.

Why it matters

The briefing is the department’s on-the-record posture at two simultaneous moments — the first American pope’s election and an India-Pakistan crisis — with Rubio’s own statement and calls reported by his spokesperson the same day they occurred.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - May 8, 2025”, 2025-05-08 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-05-08). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.