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Pope Leo XIV with JD Vance and Marco Rubio at the Vatican this morning Vatican Media

Pope holds private audience with US vice president JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio

The Vatican said there was an ‘exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law’.

POPE LEO XIV, the first pope from the United States, this morning held a private audience with US vice president JD Vance.

Vance, a convert to Catholicism, was at the pope’s papal inauguration yesterday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present at this morning’s private audience at the Vatican.

Following the meeting between Leo XIV and the US vice president, Vance then met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who is the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

These talks were described as “cordial” and the Holy See Press Office said that “satisfaction at the good bilateral relations was reiterated”.

The “collaboration between Church and State was discussed”, as well as matters relating to “religious freedom”.

There was also an “exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved”.

Relations between the Vatican and the US have become somewhat strained over recent years.

In 2016, US president Donald Trump labelled Pope Francis “disgraceful” for the late pontiff’s remarks on the border wall between the US and Mexico.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” said Francis in 2016.

And in one of his last public actions as pope, Francis penned a letter to US Bishops which openly rebuked Trump’s stance on migrants and Vance’s attempts to justify it.

Francis said it was impossible not to “make a critical judgment and express disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality”.

And in February, Leo XIV shared a news article on his now de-activated personal account on X which read: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

Pope’s audience with Zelenskyy

As well as meeting with Vance this morning, the new pope held a private audience yesterday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a video published by the Vatican, the soft-spoken Leo told the Ukrainian leader: “Nice to see you again.”

When they were all seated, he apologised for making the couple wait.

Afterwards, Zelenskyy remarked that the “authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end”.

“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” said Zelenskyy.

“We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defence of a just and lasting peace.”

And while Zelenskyy and Vance famously clashed at the White House in February, the two shared a handshake prior to the papal inauguration and then met in the Vatican Gardens after Zelenskyy’s audience with the pope.

Rubio was also present, and Zelenskyy described it as a “good meeting”.

He said they discussed last week’s negotiations in Istanbul and the fact that “the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers”.

They were the first direct discussions between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show up, nor did his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, while Zelenskyy and his foreign minister did.

Zelenskyy added that he used the meeting with Vance and Rubio to “reaffirm that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible”.

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoner exchange,” said Zelenskyy.

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    Mute Andrew Kenny
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    May 19th 2025, 10:28 AM

    Vance is a runt.

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    Mute honey badger
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    May 19th 2025, 10:48 AM

    @Andrew Kenny: Not often you see someone mix up the letter c with the letter r.

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    Mute Paul Phoenix
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    May 19th 2025, 12:05 PM

    @John doe: hey john! You must be a couch lover too I suspect!

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    Mute Alan
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    May 19th 2025, 12:40 PM

    @Paul Phoenix: john duh!

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    Mute Andrew Kenny
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    May 19th 2025, 1:08 PM

    @honey badger: lol

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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    May 19th 2025, 1:26 PM

    @Alan: duh

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    Mute Sean Og Daithi Davy Fitzy
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    May 20th 2025, 4:03 AM

    @Andrew Kenny: you’re only one letter off!

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    May 19th 2025, 11:17 AM

    @thejournal I previously muted Rain O Callaghan because I don’t want to see stoopid comments why did I have to mute AGAIN this morning?

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    Mute Alan
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    May 19th 2025, 12:45 PM

    @Thomas Meaney: because the Journal is not a genuine news organisation. It is more akin to the Daily Mail letters page. I don’t think anybody relies on it for news. It’s just an outlet for giving out, winding up, passing time if you’re unemployed. The only serious thing about it is the way that it has left itself wide open to right wing groups to drag public opinion into the gutter.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    May 19th 2025, 9:04 PM

    @Alan: It is genuine but right wing people who live under bridges are never going to stop!
    It is hard to ignore them when they sprout their misinformed comments. Their social media is the modern equivalent of the age old “a man down the pub said” and they take it as fact!

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    Mute Daniel Skelton
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    May 19th 2025, 11:13 AM

    Good ol’ big man JD Nonce.

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    Mute Mary Linton
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    May 19th 2025, 10:25 AM

    Mmmm…..the last time our Holy Father met up with JD Vance he only survived a mere matter of hours afterwards.

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    Mute thomas molloy
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    May 19th 2025, 12:12 PM

    @Mary Linton: Let’s hope they can find a way forward for Ukraine, Israel and other war areas. People who spout hate and venom are adding to the sadness of the world but thankfully only a small number of them have power.

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    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
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    May 19th 2025, 10:42 AM

    Rubio and Vance. Vomit.

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    Mute Ethan Ireland
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    May 20th 2025, 8:49 AM

    @Fergus O’Donnell: Calling your son “Fergus” vomit!

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    Mute Eoghan O Sullivan
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    May 19th 2025, 1:21 PM

    Hopefully he can get them to end the slaughter in the Middle East and bring an end to Ben.N and his gang of criminals.. remember when we given the repeated line “they have a right to defend themselves” – we don’t hear that anymore as it doesn’t make sence – but the damage is done now. Many gullible enough to believe it at the time.

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    Mute Clare Power
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    May 19th 2025, 12:38 PM

    I hope he gave them a good thrashing on what being Christian actually means and that you can’t make it up as you go along to suit your own agenda.

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    Mute Declan Young
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    May 19th 2025, 2:44 PM

    @Clare Power: You.mean like the Catholic hierarchy does?

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    Mute Clare Power
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    May 19th 2025, 11:39 PM

    @Declan Young: I said Christian not Catholic, can you not read!

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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    May 19th 2025, 11:16 AM

    The Devils advocates.

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    Mute Darran Macken
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    May 19th 2025, 10:27 AM

    Pope be dead by tomorrow.

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    Mute Anne
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    May 19th 2025, 10:52 AM

    @Darran Macken: Grow Up

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    Mute Darran Macken
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    May 19th 2025, 11:59 AM

    @Anne: sure we all could be dead tomorrow, RELAX.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    May 19th 2025, 10:43 AM

    Vance overdoes it on the eyeliner. Funny how he and Trump hate queens so much. It’s almost as of they have no mirrors. If they came out of the closet, they could be titans of the LBGTQ community and they would be so much happier for it. Currently they really are a very angry comple.

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    Mute Andrew R
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    May 19th 2025, 10:26 AM

    I this one dies we will know for sure about Vance.

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    Mute Ronan Mc
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    May 19th 2025, 1:41 PM

    Peter Thiel’s dummy on the road again

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    May 19th 2025, 10:59 AM

    In international diplomacy the term “exchange of views” is loaded with nuance, persuasion, tension, dissimulation, prevarication and other human manoeuvres.

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    Mute Billy Power
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    May 19th 2025, 7:24 PM

    No mention of the Puska’s relatives being in court today,in the Journal,who gives the Journal the right to censor news that people have a right to read

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    Mute Dr Albert S Meinheimer
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    May 19th 2025, 1:57 PM

    The paup?-inspector Clouseau

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