POPE Leo XIV meets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday after the pontiff’s inauguration mass.
The bells of St Peter’s Basilica earlier rang out as Chicago-born Leo waved from the popemobile that slowly went around the sq.
Visitors on the mass additionally included Prince Edward and US Vice President JD Vance.
Vance paid his respects on the late Pope Francis‘s tomb upon arriving in Rome late on Saturday earlier than heading to the US delegation honouring Chicago-born Leo.
The pope, 69, has publicly criticised Vance, beforehand sharing an article condemning the Republican’s feedback a few hierarchy of who you like in Christianity on a social media account below his title.
Each the United States and Peru get front-row seats on the historic occasion as a consequence of Leo’s twin citizenship in addition to strict diplomatic protocol.
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Catholic convert Vance – who tangled with Pope Francis over Donald Trump’s mass migrant deportation plans – was joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio arrived in Rome forward of time to attempt to advance tense Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Photographs confirmed Vance smiling as he shook the hand of President Zelensky – regardless of the 2 partaking within the brutal three-way Oval Workplace shouting match earlier this yr.
Moscow final night time fired a complete of 273 exploding drones and decoys focusing on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, in addition to Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk areas – the most important Russian drone assault because the begin of the warfare.
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