JD Vance Extends Invitation to Pope Leo XIV to Visit US
US Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday. The invitation came ahead of a series of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Vance gave the first American pope a letter from Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him to visit the US. Pope Leo XIV took the letter and placed it on his desk, responding with a hint of uncertainty, saying “at some point”. The meeting was part of Vance’s diplomatic visit to the Vatican, where he led the US delegation to Sunday’s formal mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope.
During the meeting, Vance gifted Pope Leo XIV a copy of two of St Augustine’s most seminal works, “The City of God” and “On Christian Doctrine”. He also gave the pope a Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it. Vance told the pope, “As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely excited about you”. Pope Leo XIV reciprocated with a bronze sculpture bearing the words “Peace is a fragile flower” in Italian and a coffee-table-sized picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.
Pope’s Remarks on Living Arrangements
Pope Leo XIV noted that his predecessor, Francis, had chosen not to live in the papal apartments, adding, “And I may live in, but it’s not totally decided”. This remark highlights the pope’s humility and willingness to forge his own path.
Vance’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV was followed by a meeting with the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to a Vatican statement, the meeting involved “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”.
After greeting Pope Leo XIV briefly at the end of Sunday’s mass, Vance spent the rest of the day in separate meetings with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni. Meloni expressed hope that the trilateral meeting could mark a “new beginning”.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, has made history as the first American to hold the sacred position. Interestingly, Prevost had previously shared articles critical of JD Vance’s views on religion on social media. One post featured an article titled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others”. Despite their differences, Vance has extended an olive branch to the new pope, congratulating him on his election .