JD Vance gives Pope Leo XIV a Trump invitation to visit the United States

Rome (AP) – US vice -president JD Vance has extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV To visit the United States at a Vatican meeting on Monday before the US-led push for ceasefire negotiations in the Russian war in Ukraine.

Vance gave the first American pope a letter from American president Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The pope born in Chicago took the letter and put him on his desk and was heard saying “at some point”, in the video images of the meeting provided by Vatican Media.

Vance, who Catholicism converted In 2019, also gave the Augustinian Pope a copy of two of the most fundamental works of St. Augustine, “the city of God” and “on Christian doctrine,” said the office of the vice-president. Another gift: a Chicago Bears t-shirt with the name Leo on it.

“As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely enthusiastic about you,” said Vance to Leo while they were exchanging gifts.

Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is a fragile flower” and a book of coffee size of papal apartments in the apostolic palace. Leo noted that Francis had chosen not to live there and added: “And I can live, but it is not completely decided.”

Vance directed the American delegation to the official Mass on Sunday Open the pontificate of the first American pope. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also joined the meeting of the meeting, said Vance spokesperson. The two then met the Vatican Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

“There has been an exchange of points of view on certain current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in the fields of conflicts and for a solution negotiated between the parties concerned,” according to a Vatican statement after their meeting.

The White House said that Vance and Gallagher “discussed religious freedom, the persecution of Christians around the world and the common commitment of President Trump and Pope Leo XIV to stop murder in Ukraine and the Middle East”.

According to the photo of the visits published by the Vatican, Leo’s brother, Louis Prevost, a self-written “maga”, and his wife, Deborah, joined the delegation during the visit.

The Vatican, which has been widely sidelined during the first three years of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, A offered to organize peace talks While pursuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate the exchanges of prisoners and bring together the Ukrainian children taken by Russia.

Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” start cease-fire negotiations after which he described as an “excellent” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who lasted more than two hours. He noted that the Vatican “represented by the Pope said that he would be very interested in organizing negotiations”.

“ All efforts ” on Ukraine

Leo, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is an Augustin missionary born in Chicago who spent most of his ministry in Chiclayo, a commercial city of around 800,000 on the Pacific Coast of Peru.

Before his election, Shared prevost Press articles on X that criticized the Trump administration plans to Massive expulsion of migrants.

Vance was one of Last foreign officials Meet Francis before The death of the Argentinian pope on April 21. The two had gripped on migration, with Francis Rebuilt? The expulsion plan of the Trump administration and correct the theological justification of Vance for this.

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