J.D. Vance, Whom Pope Leo Beforehand Criticized, Attends Pontiff’s Inaugural Mass

Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Rome on Sunday, Might 18, for Pope Leo XIV‘s inaugural mass.

Vance, 40, attended the service with the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He was photographed arriving together with his spouse Usha Vance in matching black apparel for the ceremony held in St. Peter’s Sq. within the Vatican in Italy.

Prince Edward, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium had been additionally in attendance on the mass.

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Vance was noticed shaking arms with Zelenskyy, 47, as they greeted one another within the viewers. The pair’s pleasant alternate comes after their tense White House meeting with President Donald Trump in February.

Vance was one of many final individuals to satisfy with the previous pontiff, Pope Francis. He visited with the religious leader sooner or later earlier than Francis’ demise on Easter Monday, April 21.

Francis initially dismissed the Catholic convert, however Vance was ultimately granted a quick non-public viewers.

“I used to be blissful to see him yesterday, although he was clearly very ailing,” Vance later shared on social media. “It was actually fairly stunning.”

Following Pope Leo’s election on Might 8, social media customers had been fast to find that the primary American pope had beforehand been crucial of Vance and the Trump administration.

In February, Leo — born Robert Francis Prevost — posted two information articles to his X profile. One, titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” refuted Vance’s proclamation about Christian priorities on Fox Information. The opposite delved deeper into the late Pope Francis’ criticism of Vance utilizing the Catholic idea of “ordo amoris” to justify the Trump administration’s immigration insurance policies.

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Regardless of Leo’s previous criticisms, each the president and vp had been fast to supply their congratulations to the Chicago native upon his election as Pope Francis’ successor.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was simply named Pope. It’s such an honor to understand that he’s the primary American Pope,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “What pleasure, and what a Nice Honor for our Nation. I look ahead to assembly Pope Leo XIV. It is going to be a really significant second!”

Vance, who transformed to Catholicism in 2019, added, “Congratulations to Leo XIV, the primary American Pope, on his election! I’m certain tens of millions of American Catholics and different Christians will pray for his profitable work main the Church. Might God bless him!”