POPE LEO XIV, the first pope from the United States, this morning held a private audience with US vice president JD Vance.

Vance, a convert to Catholicism, was at the pope’s papal inauguration yesterday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present at this morning’s private audience at the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV holds a private audience with US Vice President James David (J.D.) Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the Inauguration Mass of his pontificate on Sunday.https://t.co/3XTs1m2fuk pic.twitter.com/wjcLAR7ZZ2

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 19, 2025

Following the meeting between Leo XIV and the US vice president, Vance then met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who is the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

These talks were described as “cordial” and the Holy See Press Office said that “satisfaction at the good bilateral relations was reiterated”.

The “collaboration between Church and State was discussed”, as well as matters relating to “religious freedom”.

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”.

Relations between the Vatican and the US have become somewhat strained over recent years.

In 2016, US president Donald Trump labelled Pope Francis “disgraceful” for the late pontiff’s remarks on the border wall between the US and Mexico.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” said Francis in 2016.

And in one of his last public actions as pope, Francis penned a letter to US Bishops which openly rebuked Trump’s stance on migrants and Vance’s attempts to justify it.

Francis said it was impossible not to “make a critical judgment and express disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality”.

And in February, Leo XIV shared a news article on his now de-activated personal account on X which read: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

Pope’s audience with Zelenskyy

As well as meeting with Vance this morning, the new pope held a private audience yesterday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a video published by the Vatican, the soft-spoken Leo told the Ukrainian leader: “Nice to see you again.”

When they were all seated, he apologised for making the couple wait.

Pope Leo XIV meets privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, following the Mass of Inauguration of his pontificate on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/RejMSHWrdk

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 18, 2025

Afterwards, Zelenskyy remarked that the “authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end”.

“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” said Zelenskyy.

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After the inauguration Mass, we had a meeting with Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex. We are grateful to His Holiness for the audience.

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… pic.twitter.com/6pFGJfcrae

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 18, 2025

“We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defence of a just and lasting peace.”

And while Zelenskyy and Vance famously clashed at the White House in February, the two shared a handshake prior to the papal inauguration and then met in the Vatican Gardens after Zelenskyy’s audience with the pope.

Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greeted each other and shook hands prior to Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass on Sunday. https://t.co/E20CG883N0 pic.twitter.com/Vra6gZkOIY

— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2025

Rubio was also present, and Zelenskyy described it as a “good meeting”.

He said they discussed last week’s negotiations in Istanbul and the fact that “the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers”.

They were the first direct discussions between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show up, nor did his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, while Zelenskyy and his foreign minister did.

Zelenskyy added that he used the meeting with Vance and Rubio to “reaffirm that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible”.

Good meeting with @VP J. D. Vance and Secretary of State @SecRubio in Rome.

During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and… pic.twitter.com/ko2cKKYvCZ

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 18, 2025

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoner exchange,” said Zelenskyy.