Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by their wives, second lady Usha Vance and Jeannette Rubio, will lead a U.S. delegation to the Vatican on May 18 for the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV, according to a statement from the White House.
Officials noted the significance of the event, with Leo XIV the first American-born pontiff in the 2,000-year history of the Roman Catholic Church and Vance the first Catholic convert to serve as vice president.
Joe Biden was the first Catholic vice president of the United States.
The inaugural Mass is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and dignitaries and will formally install Leo XIV as the 267th pope.
Traditions include the bestowal of the fisherman’s ring and the pallium, symbols of his authority.
Ceremonies are set to begin at 10 a.m. Rome time and will feature a procession, the chant of “Laudes Regiae,” and a visit to St. Peter’s tomb, continuing customs that blend ancient ritual with modern global attention.
Set to unfold in St. Peter’s Square, the event marks a milestone for American Catholics and a delicate intersection of faith, politics, and international relations, considering the new pope’s past critiques of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
As Cardinal Robert Prevost, he shared articles on social media platform X criticizing Vance’s interpretation of the traditional principle of “ordo amoris”—taught by St. Thomas Aquinas—to justify immigration crackdowns, including one titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
In 2018, he decried policies separating migrant children from their parents as “morally indefensible.”
These posts, some as recent as April this year, suggest that Pope Leo XIV may continue Pope Francis’s progressive emphasis on social justice, potentially complicating relations with the Trump administration.
The pope has since deleted his account.
The U.S. delegation’s presence underscores the historic nature of the May 8 election of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago-born cleric.
His ascension followed the death of Pope Francis on April 21 from complications related to double pneumonia.
For Vance, the trip is a return to the Vatican just weeks after a brief, poignant meeting with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, April 20, a day before the pontiff’s death.
Vance has sought to downplay ideological divides, telling other media outlets in recent interviews that he cautioned against viewing the Catholic Church through the lens of American politics.
Fellow Catholic Rubio’s attendance adds another layer of diplomatic nuance, as he represents the administration’s foreign policy, which has at times clashed with the Vatican’s priorities related to migration and international aid.
The presence of both U.S. officials signals an intent to maintain ties with the Holy See, even amid differing views.
For American Catholics, the event is a moment of pride and reflection, and for 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe, it’s a chance to watch their new leader celebrate his first official Mass as pope.
Leo XIV, who spent decades as a missionary in Peru and led the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, embodies a bridge between the United States and the global church.
His choice of name, evoking Leo XIII, a 19th-century pope known for social justice advocacy, hints at a papacy focused on the marginalized.
As Vance and Rubio join world leaders in St. Peter’s Square, the Mass serves as a celebration of this historic papacy and a test of how faith and politics can coexist in a polarized world.
The inauguration comes at a time when the Vatican faces challenges, from budget shortfalls to debates over inclusivity and the role of women in the Church.
For Vance and Rubio, the visit is an opportunity to witness a new chapter for Catholicism, led by an American pope whose voice carries weight far beyond Rome.
As the world watches, the dance of diplomacy and doctrine will unfold under the dome of St. Peter’s, where history and hope converge.
