U.S. Vice President JD Vance has extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican. Vance offered Leo a letter from U.S.

The Vatican has a deep history of conflict mediation, with varying degrees of success. An effort by the pope to end the war in Ukraine would face long odds.

President Trump has invited newly inaugurated Pope Leo to the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. Why it matters: If accepted, the visit would mark the first time a pope has visited the White House since Pope Francis visited then-President Obama in 2015.