U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the Vatican and meets Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Multiple outlets report that Rubio presents the Pope with a small crystal football after the meeting. According to one account, Rubio tells the Pope, “I know you’re a baseball guy,” while making the gift. The reports characterize the exchange as a ceremonial gesture during the visit and do not provide additional details about any broader negotiation or specific outcomes from the meeting. One outlet notes that the visit occurs amid tensions involving the Vatican and the Trump administration, though it does not specify what those tensions relate to in the coverage provided. Overall, the sources agree on the main elements: Rubio meets Pope Leo XIV, gives him a crystal football, and the gift is described as small and crystal. The reports present the incident as part of the Vatican encounter rather than as a separate political event.