Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be among many international leaders present at the first Mass of newly elected Pope Leo this Sunday, the Vatican said. The ceremony, conducted in St. Peter’s Square, will formally induct Pope Leo born in Chicago and partly brought up in Peru as the world’s spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.
Heading the US delegation will be Vice President JD Vance, who famously had a falling out with Zelenskyy in a February White House meeting. Also making an appearance will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Zelenskyy’s senior aide disclosed that the Ukrainian president is willing to meet other global leaders on the sidelines of the summit. Importantly, Zelenskyy had previously spoken with former US President Donald Trump in the Vatican for Pope Francis funeral in April.
Before the Mass, Rubio is set to see Pope Francis former envoy on the Russia-Ukraine war, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. Rubio had proposed that the Vatican might be an impartial location for negotiations that will end the current war. “I wouldn’t say a broker, but it’s definitely a place that I would think both parties would feel comfortable coming to,” Rubio replied to reporters.
Other guests include the presidents of Israel, Peru, and Nigeria, Italian, Canadian, and Australian prime ministers, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. European monarchs like Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia will be present. Russia will be represented by Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova.
The fact that such varied leaders attended highlights the international importance of Pope Leo’s installation and the Vatican’s ongoing involvement in world diplomacy.
