by Carolina Bellocq

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch presented President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance with baseballs signed by Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope and a fan of the sport.

Burch said the baseballs were official Major League Baseballs printed with “Freedom 250” to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.

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“I asked him if he would sign a baseball or two for the president and the vice president,” Burch said. “And he began signing it and then he stopped and said, ‘We should add the date,’ and he added ‘7-4-26,’ the 250 anniversary of the United States.”

Burch said the moment stood out to those present.

“For him to note that, I thought, we all kind of paused and realized: he, too, was celebrating with us,” he said.

Burch and his family shared an intimate dinner with Pope Leo to celebrate the Fourth of July and the 250th anniversary of American independence. The gathering included traditional American foods, decorations and sparklers.

The pope arrived alone, leaving his security detail outside. Inside, Burch said, the dinner felt like a typical American family gathering with a parish priest.

The ambassador described the occasion as both moving and historic.

“Certainly, no ambassador has ever, in recent memory, hosted a pope for dinner,” Burch said. “But no pope has ever held an American flag and said ‘God Bless America’ who was born in America.”

Burch said he viewed the moment as a sign of Pope Leo’s closeness to the United States and of his personal character.

“To me, I thought that was such a symbolic but also significant gesture of the closeness that he feels to the United States,” he said. “But also his personal character and his willingness to be a part of a family to celebrate, for us, which is one of the most important holidays for our country.”

The diplomat left with photos from the occasion and one of the commemorative baseballs, a small memento from a pope he said understands the historic nature of his presidency and that may one day find a place in a U.S. presidential library.