The day after his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV had a closed-door meeting at the Vatican with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who gave him a Chicago Bears jersey and a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Vance delivered the letter from President Trump and his wife, Melania, before the start of the meeting, according to a video edited and released by Vatican Media. The short video clip showed Vance handing a large envelope to the pope, telling him it was a letter “from the president and first lady inviting you to come …”. The rest of the sentence was cut.
The vice president also met May 19 with Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, after meeting with the pope, a Vatican statement said.
The Vatican press office released a communique outlining only what general themes were discussed during the “cordial talks held at the Secretariat of State” with Archbishop Gallagher. The two parties expressed their satisfaction with the “good bilateral relations” between them, and “the collaboration between church and state was discussed, as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom.”
“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,” the Vatican said.
Later May 18 Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was also in Rome for the pope’s inaugural Mass.
Pope Leo XIV also met privately with Zelenskyy and his wife May 18, their second encounter of the day.
In fact, when the pope welcomed the president to his office attached to the Paul VI Audience Hall, a Vatican video clip included Pope Leo telling the president, “Nice to see you again.”
The Vatican press office said it did not have a statement about the meeting, but Zelenskyy thanked the pope in a posting on X.
“For millions of people around the world, the pontiff is a symbol of hope for peace. The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” Zelenskyy posted.
Pope Leo and Zelenskyy had spoken by telephone May 12, and Pope Leo has already prayed publicly for the Ukrainian people several times, calling for “a just and lasting peace.”
The Vatican also offered to host direct discussions between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.