Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, joined by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join a host of global leaders at the inaugural Mass for Pope Leo this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced. Born in Chicago and long resident in Peru, Pope Leo will be formally installed as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Leading the U.S. delegation is Vice President J.D. Vance—who famously sparred with Zelenskyy at the White House in February—accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Aides say Zelenskyy hopes to hold side-line meetings during the visit; he previously met U.S. President Donald Trump at Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26 in the same setting. Rubio, meanwhile, plans talks on Saturday with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Francis’s former special envoy to Ukraine, suggesting the Vatican could host informal Russia–Ukraine dialogue.
Also expected at the ceremony are the presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria; the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. European royalty, including Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, will attend, while Russia will be represented by Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova.
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