CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 /
13:01 pm
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump invited Pope Leo XIV to the White House. The invitation was made in a letter from Trump that was hand-delivered to the pope by Vice President JD Vance on Monday.
In a video of the meeting between the vice president and Pope Leo, Vance can be heard saying “I wanted to make sure I gave you that letter,” and in his response Pope Leo can be heard saying “at some point.”
Vance told the pope: “As you can probably imagine, in the United States the people are extremely excited.”
During an exchange of gifts between the two, Vance gave the pope a Chicago Bears jersey with “Pope Leo XIV” emblazoned on the back.
At the meeting’s conclusion, Vance thanked Pope Leo XIV and told him: “We’ll pray for you.”
“Thank you for being here for the celebration,” the pope replied.
When Leo XIV was elected May 8, Trump expressed hearty congratulations, posting on Truth Social: “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement, and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Vance and his wife, Usha, attended the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended with his wife, Jeanette.
Amira Abuzeid is senior editor at Catholic News Agency.
