On Sunday, May 18th, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, and Second Lady Usha Vance attended the inaugural mass of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The couple had the opportunity to meet and greet the new pope before leaving St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
The Vice President’s spokesperson stated that Vance and his wife extended their respects to the new Pope before departing from the Vatican. During their brief encounter, Vance and Pope Leo XIV shook hands and exchanged a few words. Second Lady Usha stood by Vance, wearing a black lace veil, as they greeted Pope Leo.
This meeting between Vance and Pope Leo XIV comes shortly after Vance’s meeting with former Pope Francis in Rome on Easter Sunday, the day before the passing of the former pontiff. Less than a month later, Vance witnessed another pope’s official inauguration ceremony.
Leading the U.S. delegation attending the inaugural mass of the new pope was Vance, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Rubio are among the highest-ranking Catholics in the Trump administration and serve as key figures in diplomatic affairs. They were evidently considered the most suitable representatives of the Trump administration to attend the pope’s inauguration mass.
Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Robert Prevost, is 69 years old and the first pope to be born in the United States. Prior to his election, he served as a cardinal but was relatively unknown on the global stage. This Roman Catholic, born in Chicago, spent many years as a missionary in Peru, became a naturalized citizen of Peru in 2015, and holds dual nationality.
The encounter between Vance and Pope Leo garnered attention not only due to the significance of their positions but also because of the pope’s past criticisms, similar to those of Pope Francis, towards Vice President Vance’s stance on immigration issues.
On April 14th, Pope Leo shared criticisms on social media regarding the handling of an immigration incident by the Trump administration, where a Maryland immigrant, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador under the false assumption that he was a member of the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua”.
Pope Leo also shared pointed criticisms of Vance in articles on social media, including one in February of this year. Former Pope Francis had clashed multiple times with President Trump on immigration issues. Additionally, Pope Francis is a staunch advocate for combating climate change, whereas President Trump has dismissed climate change activists as propagating a hoax.
The dynamics between Trump and Pope Leo are yet to be observed, but Vance’s visit to the Vatican may, to some extent, set the tone for the relationship between the Trump administration and the Vatican.