Pope Leo XIV met with Vice President JD Vance for a closed-door assembly on the Vatican on Monday morning, the primary personal dialog between America’s two most high-profile Catholics for the reason that new pontiff was elected.
The much-anticipated encounter got here amid a interval of pressure between the papacy and the White Home, significantly over problems with immigration and theology.
The assembly additionally befell after Leo on Friday mentioned the church might act as a mediator in world conflicts, together with, his second-in-command mentioned, between Ukraine and Russia. Following the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday, Leo and the vice chairman every met privately with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
After assembly with Pope Leo on Monday, Mr. Vance met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s international minister. These discussions had been “cordial” and reaffirmed “good bilateral relations,” in accordance with an announcement from the Vatican’s press workplace.
“There was an trade of views on some present worldwide points, calling for respect for humanitarian regulation and worldwide regulation in areas of battle and for a negotiated answer between the events concerned,” the assertion mentioned.
The encounter furthered hope for some on the American proper that their relationship with the Holy See is perhaps in for a reset, after years of battle with Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, who criticized a few of President Trump’s views as “not Christian.” Francis incessantly clashed with Republican priorities, significantly on immigration, throughout each Trump presidencies, and was identified to search out extra partnership with Democrats on objectives like environmental safety and the Iran nuclear deal.
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