Vance to attend Pope Leo inaugural mass, his office says

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Vice President JD Vance will lead a U.S. delegation to attend the inaugural mass on Sunday of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, who had criticized President Donald Trump and Vance before taking leadership of the global Catholic Church.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join Vance, the first Catholic convert to serve as vice president, Vance’s office said in a statement on Thursday.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, was chosen a week ago to succeed Pope Francis, who died on April 21 after a stroke and cardiac arrest.

While a cardinal, he issued a handful of disapproving posts about the Republican leaders’ policies on his X account. White House officials did not comment about the criticisms.

Vance, who had clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration’s policies, met with him briefly at the Vatican on Easter Sunday, a day before the pontiff’s death.

Pope Leo is expected to follow in the footsteps of Francis, a champion of the poor and of immigrants, who also had his differences with the Trump administration. Vance played down those differences after the meeting with Francis, but they were substantial. Francis had called Trump’s immigration policies a disgrace.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu)