JD Vance presented Pope Leo XIV with a personalized Chicago Bears jersey labeled “Pope Leo” and numbered XIV, along with a letter from Donald Trump inviting the new pontiff to the White House. The exchange occurred during a morning meeting at the Vatican with a U.S. delegation that included Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both devout Catholics. Vance also gifted the Pope two works by St. Augustine and conveyed American enthusiasm for his leadership. In response to Trump’s invitation, the Pope replied, “at some point,” to which Vance answered, “of course.” The Chicago-born Pope, who recently received White Sox memorabilia, continues to be honored with tributes from his hometown. One American tourist humorously called him “the White Sox Pope.”
In return, Pope Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture inscribed with “Peace is a fragile flower” in Italian and a book about the Vatican palace. The Vatican stated that the meeting covered major global concerns, stressing the importance of humanitarian and international law. The White House said Vance raised issues such as religious liberty, Christian persecution, and the shared commitment between Trump and the Pope to pursuing peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. A Vatican photo also showed the Pope’s brother, Louis Prevost—a self-proclaimed “MAGA-type”—and his wife Deborah joining the delegation.
