On Monday, Vice President J.D. Vance met with Pope Leo XIV, presenting the Chicago-born pontiff with a Bears football jersey featuring his title.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism, offered this gift during his visit with the first American Pope, who remarked, “good choice” upon receiving it.
A video shared by CBS News reveals Vance also presented letters from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, inviting new Catholic leaders to the White House.
“I know there’s a lot to do for you, but I wanted to make sure I gave you that letter,” Vance noted during the meeting.
The meeting, which included Second Lady Ushavance and Secretary Marcorubio, lasted about 40 minutes. According to reports from the Chicago Sun Times, Vance expressed, “You can probably imagine that the people in the US are very excited about you.”
The Pope gifted Vance a bronze sculpture inscribed with the Italian phrase “peace is a fragile flower.”
Before concluding their time together, Vance mentioned he would pray for Pope Leo XIV.
This was the Vice President’s first meeting with the new clergy, greeted after Sunday Mass at the Vatican, accompanied by Ushavance, Rubio, and his wife, Janet.
A statement from the Vatican, reported by CBS, indicated that the conference involved discussions on current international issues, emphasizing respect for humanitarian laws and the need for negotiated solutions.
The Vice President’s office confirmed he also gifted the Pope two books by St. Augustine, his chosen patron saint: The City of God and On Christian Doctrine.
