Vice President JD Vance will lead a US 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.