Pope Leo XIV received US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, ahead of a US-led push to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Vatican released photographs of Mr Vance and Mr Rubio smiling as they met with the Chicago-born pope, who was elected as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on 8 May.
The pair were among the 200,000 dignitaries, royals and faithful who gathered yesterday to mark the official start of Leo's papacy at an inauguration mass in St Peter's Square.
Leo, 69, has made peace the key word of his papacy so far and was expected to talk to Mr Vance and Mr Rubio about the US administration's role in pushing for an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict in particular.
US President Donald Trump will hold a phone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin later, as part of his efforts to end the war set off by Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Vance also met with the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, for "cordial talks" during which they expressed "satisfaction at the good bilateral relations", the Vatican said.
There was also "an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved", it said.
There was a flurry of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of Leo's inauguration, with world dignitaries discussing both Israel's offensive in Gaza and the Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was present at the inauguration mass, met with Leo for his first private audience yesterday.
He also sat down with Mr Vance and Mr Rubio to discuss "their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine," according to the vice president's office.
'Every effort'
Leo offered last week to mediate between leaders of countries at war, saying that he himself "will make every effort so that this peace may prevail".
The pope's number two, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, said on Friday Leo "may offer the Vatican for a direct meeting between the two parties", according to media reports.
Mr Vance's audience with Leo lasted 45 minutes, his spokesperson said.
Before becoming pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of Mr Trump's administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Mr Vance.
But Mr Vance insisted that the United States was "very proud of him", adding that "our prayers go with him as he starts this very important work".
Mr Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and Mr Rubio is also a Catholic.
Mr Vance and Mr Gallagher also discussed "collaboration between Church and State... as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom," the Vatican said.
Leo, who was elected following the death of his predecessor Pope Francis last month, is tasked with tackling a series of pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church.
These include a bitter divide between supporters of Francis's reforms and conservative opponents, particularly in the US, as well as increasingly empty pews in the West.
