By Kavita Mistry 
Pope Leo XIV received U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Monday (May 19, 2025), ahead of a U.S.-led push to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Vatican released photographs of Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio smiling as they met with the Chicago-born pontiff, who was elected as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8 — the first pope from the United States.
The pair were among the 200,000 dignitaries, royals and faithful who had gathered on Sunday (May 18, 2025) to mark the official start of Pope Leo’s papacy at an inauguration mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Leo, 69, has made peace the key word of his papacy so far and was expected to talk to Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio about the U.S. administration’s role in pushing for an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict in particular.
Mr. Vance handed Pope Leo an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to visit the White House, his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, adding that Mr. Trump hoped the visit would happen as soon as possible.
Mr. Trump will hold a phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin later on Monday (May 19, 2025) as part of his efforts to end the war set off by Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Vance also met on Monday (May 19, 2025) with the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, for “cordial talks” during which they expressed “satisfaction at the good bilateral relations”, the Vatican said.
There was also “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 said.
There was a flurry of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of Pope Leo’s inauguration, with world dignitaries discussing both Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was present at the inauguration mass, met with Pope Leo for his first private audience on Sunday (May 18, 2025).
He also sat down with Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio to discuss “their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine,” according to the Vice-President’s office.
‘Every effort’
Pope Leo offered last week to mediate between leaders of countries at war, saying that he himself “will make every effort so that this peace may prevail”.
And the pope’s number two, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, said on Friday (May 16, 2025) Pope Leo “may offer the Vatican for a direct meeting between the two parties”, according to media reports.
Mr. Vance’s audience with Pope Leo lasted 45 minutes, the V-P’s spokesperson said.
Before becoming pope, he reposted on his personal X account criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Mr. Vance.
But Mr. Vance insisted on Sunday (May 18, 2025) that the United States was “very proud of him”, adding that “our prayers go with him as he starts this very important work”.
Mr. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Mr. Rubio is also a Catholic.
Mr. Vance and Gallagher also discussed “collaboration between Church and State… as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom,” the Vatican said.
Pope Leo, who was elected following the death of his predecessor Pope Francis last month, is tasked with tackling a series of pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church.
These include a bitter divide between supporters of Francis’s reforms and conservative opponents, particularly in the United States, as well as increasingly empty pews in the West.
Published – May 19, 2025 11:25 pm IST