Vice President JD Vance attended Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass in Vatican City on Sunday.
Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, greeted the pope as he took part in the two-hour ceremony in front of St Peter’s Basilica.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined the Vances in leading the U.S. delegation to the mass, which was attended by an estimated 200,000 people and marked the formal start of Leo’s papacy after he assumed the position earlier this month.
The papal conclave elected Pope Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, as the new pope on May 8 after Pope Francis died last month.
The selection fueled particular celebration in the U.S. as it made him the first American pope. Prevost was born in Chicago and is a graduate of Villanova University.
A White House notice announcing Vance’s trip to the inaugural mass emphasized Leo’s U.S. roots, as well as the vice president’s Catholic faith.
“Pope Leo XIV is the first American Pope. Vice President Vance is the first Catholic convert to serve as Vice President,” the White House notice said.
As part of his trip to the Vatican City this weekend, Vance visited the tomb of Pope Francis on Saturday.
“He was beloved by many Catholics around the world, and I hope you will join me in praying for the repose of his soul,” Vance posted on X.
The vice president was one of the last people to speak with Pope Francis. He met with the Pope on Easter Sunday, just a few hours before he passed away at the age of 88.
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Both Pope Francis and the new pope have been critical of the Trump administration’s stance on illegal immigration.
Leo shared an America Magazine article on Feb. 13 that recounted Pope Francis’s criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policy and Vance’s defense of it.