The much-anticipated encounter came amid a period of tension between the papacy and the White House, particularly over issues of immigration and theology.
Following the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday, the pope and the vice president each met privately with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
More on Pope Leo XIV Mr. Vance gave Leo a Chicago Bears jersey with “Pope Leo XIV” on the back.
After meeting with Pope Leo on Monday, Mr. Vance met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister.
On Easter Sunday, Mr. Vance met Francis, who had openly criticized the vice president’s theology around compassion and immigration.
It was the first private meeting between America’s two most prominent Catholics since the election of the new pope. On Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV and Vice President JD Vance met behind closed doors at the Vatican.
The highly anticipated meeting took place during a time when the White House and the pope were at odds, especially over theological and immigration concerns.
The meeting also came after Leo stated on Friday that the church could mediate international disputes, such as those between Russia and Ukraine, according to his second-in-command. The vice president and pope met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday.
Before leaving Italy, Mr. Vance stated, “I believe the Vatican, and the Pope in particular, will be a great advocate of world peace.”. Therefore, we will identify some crucial areas for collaboration. “.”.
Dear Mr. Additionally, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vance brought a letter from President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump “extending their warm wishes” to the pope and inviting him to the White House.
After years of discord with Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, who denounced some of President Trump’s beliefs as “not Christian,” the meeting gave some conservative Americans more hope that their relationship with the Holy See might be about to change. Throughout both Trump administrations, Francis regularly ran afoul of Republican agendas, especially those related to immigration, and was known to find greater agreement with Democrats on issues like environmental preservation and the Iran nuclear agreement.
Leo, a moderate, seems to hold many of the same opinions as his predecessor. In a social media account that has since been deleted, he appeared to criticize Mr. Vance for his tough immigration policies and the vice president’s theology. However, the pope has made unity a central theme of his fledgling pontificate, even during Sunday’s inaugural Mass. Leo’s administrative pragmatism and missionary sensibilities have been cited by some conservative American Catholics as areas of similarity.
Pope Leo XIV in more detail.
Mr. Vance presented Leo with a Chicago Bears jersey that read “Pope Leo XIV” on the back. The vice president also presented a copy of Saint Augustine’s “City of God,” a work from the fifth century that was significant to Mr. Dot Vance’s 2019 conversion to Catholicism, to Leo, a former head of the Order of Saint Augustine.
On Monday, Mr. Vance met with the foreign minister of the Vatican, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, following his meeting with Pope Leo. The Vatican press office said in a statement that the talks were “cordial” and reaffirmed “good bilateral relations.”.
“Aspirations for a negotiated resolution between the parties involved and respect for humanitarian law and international law in conflict areas were discussed,” the statement said.
Leo started the one-on-one meeting with Mr. Dot Vance in the Apostolic Palace. Following Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the other U.S. officials, and their spouses joined the vice president. A. delegation, Mr. Dot Vance’s spokesperson said.
According to the Vatican statement, “the cooperation between Church and State was discussed, as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom” during the conversation with Archbishop Gallagher.
Francis, who publicly criticized the vice president’s theology regarding immigration and compassion, met with Mr. Dot Vance on Easter Sunday.
A month later, the White House’s options have changed. Usha Vance, the second lady, sat next to Louis Prevost, the pope’s oldest brother from Florida and self-described “MAGA type,” at Leo’s first Mass.
Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo provided reporting assistance.
