Pope Leo XIV has been officially invited to the White House in his capacity as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
US Vice-President JD Vance handed the new pontiff a letter from US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump – reportedly a practising Catholic – inviting him to visit "as soon as [he] possibly can", the <em>BBC</em> <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2rpn3p9ro"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a>.
The British broadcaster notes that in a subsequent statement, the Holy See said both sides had expressed satisfaction with relations between the US and Vatican during face-to-face talks that occurred at the Vatican on Monday, 19 May.
The meeting followed Vance – a convert and practicing Catholic – having attended the Pope's official papal inauguration Mass on Sunday.
Religious freedom and cooperation between Church and State were also discussed on Monday, it was reported, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also taking part.
"Finally, there was an exchange of views on current international issues with a shared call for respect for humanitarian and international law in conflict zones, and support for negotiated solutions among the parties involved," said the Holy See's statement.
The papal audience lasted 45 minutes, Vance's spokesperson said. It took place behind closed doors without reporters present.
There was a customary exchange of gifts, with Vance presenting Pope Leo a Chicago Bears T-shirt emblazoned with the pontiff's name (the Bears are an American football team from the Pope's birthplace) along with two books by St Augustine, according to the vice-president's office.
The Pope, meanwhile, gave the vice-president a bronze sculpture with the inscription "peace is a fragile flower" in Italian, and a picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, which is the Pope's official residence.
Pope Leo is the first US-born pope in history. In addition to his nationality leading to speculation about how it might impact the Vatican’s relationship with the White House, especially on issues such as migration, it has also led to consideration of other less weighty issues such as <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/white-sox-stadium-to-host-special-mass-in-honour-of-pope-leo-xiv/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">which baseball team the Pope supports</mark></a> in his hometown of Chicago.
The meeting with the new pontiff marked Vance’s second visit to the Vatican in a matter of weeks. He had previously travelled to Rome with his family for a Good Friday service in St Peter’s Basilica, and was privately greeted by Pope Francis on Easter morning – just hours before Francis’s death following a stroke on 21 April.
Pope Francis had previously been sharply critical of the US administration’s immigration policy, particularly its mass deportation strategy, and had singled out Vance over remarks on the Christian order of love – arguing that love begins with those close by before extending to others.
Then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, prior to his election as Pope Leo XIV, had also publicly criticised Vance’s position on social media platform <em>X</em>, writing: “JD Vance is wrong. Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Immigration was not explicitly mentioned in Monday’s communiqué, though it may have been among the “current international issues” referenced.
<mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em><a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/vance-and-rubio-meet-pope-leo-xiv/">RELATED: Vance and Rubio meet Pope Leo XIV</a></em></strong></mark>
<em>Photo: Pope Leo XIV arrives for an audience with thousands of journalists and media workers at Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, 12 May 2025. The audience with journalists has become a tradition among newly elected popes. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.)</em>
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