Vance, Rubo meet with Pope Leo (Vatican Press Office)

US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV in a private audience on May 19.

The two American political leaders had been in attendance the previous day at the new Pontiff’s Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate. Vance had met with Pope Francis—who had criticized his views on immigration—on Easter Sunday, just before the Pope’s death.

The May 19 meeting included “an exchange of views on some current international issues,” the Vatican reported, “during which hope was expressed that humanitarian law and international law be respected in areas of conflict and that there be a negotiated solution between the parties involved.”