Vice President JD Vance officially invited Pope Leo XIV to the White House, following a “cordial” conversation between the two men on Monday at the Vatican. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also at the meeting, and Vance passed on a letter to the new pope from President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

U.S. leaders JD Vance and Marco Rubio meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, discussing U.S.-Holy See relations, religious freedom, and international issues.

Pope Leo XIV will preside over his inaugural mass today in front of St Peter’s Basilica, which marks the formal start of his papacy. JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are attending.

Pope Leo XIV , history’s first American pope, on Thursday made his first American bishop appointment as he named Bishop Michael Pham as bishop of San Diego, California. Pham, 58, is currently an auxiliary bishop in the diocese.