‘Bring enemies together’: Pope Leo offers Zelensky-Vance meeting at inaugural Mass

The pontiff’s inauguration provides the opportunity for the Ukrainian leader to repair relations with the US after his Oval Office row with the Vice President.

Pope Leo XIV gestures after delivering the Regina Caeli prayer from the main central loggia of St Peter's basilica in The Vatican. Picture; AFP.

St Peter’s Basilica is once again set to host summits between world leaders on Sunday as princes, presidents and prime ministers fly in to Rome to see Pope Leo XIV installed as the head of the Catholic Church.

Less than three weeks after President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine held an impromptu meeting at the funeral of Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, Zelensky has said he wants to return for the American pope’s inaugural Mass amid speculation that JD Vance, the US vice-president, will also attend.

Those who have confirmed their presence include the Duke of Edinburgh, who will represent King Charles, members of the Spanish royal family, Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, and Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, who has said he will try to discuss trade and security with fellow leaders at the event.

Donald Trump looks on as Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance argue in the Oval Office on February 28. Picture: AFP

Zelensky is also keen to talk about peace deals for Ukraine with guests and reported that, during a phone conversation with Leo on Monday, the Pope told him he was keen to make meetings happen.

In a speech to church leaders on Wednesday, Leo said: “The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace.”

He added: “Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate!”

After his election at the conclave last Thursday, Leo, 69, has taken his first steps as Pope - issuing his papal coat of arms and taking over Francis’s accounts on X and Instagram. Leo has previously used X to share criticism of Trump’s migrant crack down.

During a meeting on Monday with journalists, Leo was challenged by two reporters to a game of tennis, knowing he is a keen player.

The Pope jokingly replied, “As long as it’s not Sinner” - a reference to the Italian tennis champion Jannik Sinner.

Pope Leo XIV during a private audience with Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner at The Vatican on Wednesday. Picture: Vatican Media / AFP

Possibly believing his quip sounded like a snub, Leo invited Sinner and his family to the Vatican on Wednesday. Sinner, 23, offered the pope a racket and asked if he wanted a game. The Pope replied: “Here we’ll break something. Best not to.”

Leo has suggested he will follow through on Pope Francis’s plan for a papal visit to Turkey this year o mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, at which eastern and western churches agreed on the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

“It seems remote but it’s still important today,” the Church historian Alberto Melloni said. “It was decided Jesus was the eternal son of God and not created like other creations on earth. It opened the door to common liturgies that span the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant faiths today.”

The meeting, which would be Leo’s first papal trip, was due this month in ancient Nicaea, now Iznik, in Turkey, but has been delayed until July to give Leo breathing space after his election.

He will celebrate the anniversary with Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

“The meeting could open the door to full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, which has not happened since 1054, so it’s one to watch,” Melloni said.

The Times