“Cordial talks” on religious freedom and global conflicts
Pope Leo XIV welcomed US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Vatican on Monday, a day after his inauguration. The audience with the Chicago-born pope, who was elected on May 8, lasted 45 minutes.
Vance later met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher for “cordial talks,” the Vatican said. Discussions covered Church-State collaboration, religious freedom, and international issues “calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law.”
Both Vance and Rubio, practicing Catholics, attended Sunday’s inauguration mass among 200,000 dignitaries and later greeted the pope. Despite past online criticism from Leo of Vance and the Trump administration, Vance said, “Certainly our prayers go with him as he starts this very important work.”