Pope Leo XIV welcomed U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Vatican on Monday, one day after the new U.S. pontiff celebrated his inauguration mass.
The Vatican shared images of Vance and Rubio smiling as they met with the Chicago-born pope, who was elected on May 8 to lead the global Catholic Church, comprising 1.4 billion members.
The meeting with Pope Leo lasted 45 minutes, according to the vice president’s spokesperson.
Following that, Vance held discussions with Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states. The Vatican described the encounter as “cordial talks.”
“Satisfaction at the good bilateral relations was reiterated, and the collaboration between Church and State was discussed, as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom,” a Vatican statement noted.
“Finally, there was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” it added.
Both Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Rubio are practicing Catholics.
They were among the estimated 200,000 dignitaries, royals, and worshippers who gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to witness the formal beginning of Pope Leo’s tenure. After the mass, they joined others in line to shake Leo’s hand.
Before his papacy, Leo had reshared posts from his personal X account that criticized the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump, particularly on migration policies, and had also directed criticism at Vance.
Despite that, Vance expressed support, stating Sunday that the United States was “very proud of him.”
“Certainly our prayers go with him as he starts this very important work,” Vance said during a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
What you should know
Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, began his papacy with high-level diplomatic engagements, including a cordial meeting with U.S. officials JD Vance and Marco Rubio, signaling mutual goodwill despite previous differences.
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