Donald Trump Stephen Colbert The Late Show Marco Rubio Pope Leo XIV U.S. State Department Vatican crystal football regift Sports Illustrated

Marco Rubio visited the Vatican on Thursday, presenting Pope Leo XIV with a gift that drew immediate mockery—including from Stephen Colbert. The exchange occurred amid Donald Trump’s recent criticisms of the Pope.

During his opening monologue on Thursday’s Late Show, Colbert quipped about the visit:

"The White House tried to smooth over relations with the Vatican by sending Secretary of State — and non-player character in a video game about celibacy — Marco Rubio."

Video footage captured the meeting, where Rubio and Pope Leo exchanged gifts. The Pope presented Rubio with an olive wood pen, stating, "Olive being, of course, the plant of peace."

Rubio’s gift to the Pope—a small crystal football—elicited Colbert’s sharpest reaction. With no need for further commentary, Colbert simply sneered:

"I smell regift!"

Turning away from the cameras, Colbert added:

"They got it with their Sports Illustrated! It came with their Sports Illustrated."

The crystal football, roughly the size of an avocado, bears the U.S. State Department seal but does not function as a phone. Colbert referenced Sports Illustrated’s past promotional items, including blooper VHS tapes, a shoe-shaped phone, and a football-shaped phone, to highlight the gift’s perceived lack of originality.

The two-hour meeting also included discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, focusing on the Middle East and other Western interests, according to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

Source: The Wrap
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