US Vice-President JD Vance invites Pope Leo to visit the White House after a private meeting at the Vatican. The visit marked their first face-to-face encounter since Leo became the first American Pope earlier this month.
Vance personally delivered a letter from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The letter welcomed the pontiff to Washington “as soon as he possibly can,” according to White House officials.
JD Vance invites Pope Leo amid growing efforts to strengthen ties between the United States and the Holy See. The 45-minute closed-door meeting, held on Monday, was described as “cordial” by both sides. The Holy See said the leaders expressed satisfaction with current diplomatic relations.
Topics discussed included religious freedom, church-state cooperation, and humanitarian law. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also participated in the talks. Both sides emphasized respect for international law and support for peaceful conflict resolution.
As part of tradition, the meeting ended with an exchange of gifts. Vance presented the Pope with a Chicago Bears t-shirt featuring his name and two books by St Augustine. The Pope gave Vance a bronze sculpture inscribed with “peace is a fragile flower” and a photo book of the Apostolic Palace.
JD Vance invites Pope Leo following his attendance at the Pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday. The vice president, a practicing Catholic, was joined by his wife, Usha Vance, along with Secretary Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Rubio.
The Vatican also confirmed separate talks between Vance and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who handles the Holy See’s foreign relations. Both sides reiterated the importance of diplomatic cooperation on global challenges.
Although Pope Leo has appeared critical of some Trump-era immigration policies, the Vatican made no public mention of that during this visit. Earlier posts from an X account linked to Leo had questioned Vance’s views on immigration and Christianity, but the account’s authenticity remains unconfirmed.
JD Vance invites Pope Leo at a time when Washington and the Vatican seek to align more closely on key international issues.
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