OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:17 AM – Sunday, May 18, 2025
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass in the Vatican City.
On Sunday, Vance and second lady Usha Vance met Pope Leo XIV, greeting him before exiting St. Peter’s Square.
Vance and the first American pope shook hands and were seen speaking for a few seconds. The second lady stood beside Vance, wearing a black lace veil.
Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, also greeted the new pope.
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and met with Pope Francis last month, just before his death.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the mass and greeted the pope afterwards.
The pope has offered to invite leaders from Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican as a friendly gesture to help broker a peace settlement in their ongoing conflict.
Zelensky says he met with Pope Leo XIV following his inauguration, and thanked the Vatican for its readiness to host direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.
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