U.S. Vice President JD Vance was received by Pope Leo XIV on Monday for a private audience at the end of his visit to Rome.

The head of the Catholic Church met Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.

This was followed by a meeting between the U.S. guests and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with foreign states.

The Holy See reported an “exchange of views” on current wars worldwide during the meetings.

The parties involved were called on to have “respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict” and to reach “a negotiated solution,” a statement from the Vatican said.

Specific wars were not mentioned in the statement.

On Sunday, the pontiff explicitly mentioned Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine during a mass in St Peter’s Square.

The U.S. vice president attended the official inauguration of Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago.

The Vatican said the top officials commented on “satisfaction at the good bilateral relations” between the Holy See and the United States.

This was Mr Vance’s second private audience at the Vatican in a month.

At Easter, he was received by Pope Francis, who died the following day, Easter Monday, at the age of 88.

(dpa/NAN)