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US Vice President J.D. Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance met Pope Francis briefly on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings.
Francis, recovering from a deadly match near pneumonia, received his Vance in one of the response rooms at the Vatican hotel where he lives. The 88-year-old Pope provided the Catholic vice president with three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three young children.
“I know you didn’t feel good, but it’s good that you meet in a better health,” Vance told the Pope. “Thank you for meeting me.”
Vance’s car entered the Vatican city through the side gate while Easter Mass was celebrated at St. Peter’s Square. Francis delegated the Mass celebration to another cardinal.
The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at Domus Santa Malta to exchange Easter greetings. Vance’s office said they met, but did not provide further details. Overall, Vance’s convoy was in Vatican territory for 17 minutes.
He later joined the family for Easter Mass at St. Paul outside the wall, one of Rome’s four sacred basilicas. Vance visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul, which is said to be there.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, is engulfed in the Trump administration’s plan to expel immigrants and immigrants on a large scale. Francis made the care of immigrants a hallmark of his pope.
A few days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis denounced the deportation plan and warned that immigrants would deprive them of their inherent dignity. In a letter to the American bishop, Francis also appeared to respond directly to Vance because he argued that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.
Vance admitted Francis’ criticism, but he said he would continue to follow his views. When he appeared on February 28th at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance had not addressed the issue specifically, but he called himself a “baby Catholic” and admitted that there was “something about faiths that I don’t know about.”
Vance met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
Vance’s office said he and Parolyn “discussed their shared religious beliefs, American Catholicism, a light letter of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”
The Vatican said some of them have “exchanges of views” that include immigrants, refugees and current conflicts.
The Holy See has responded with caution to the Trump administration, while calling for continued productive relationships in line with the diplomatic neutral tradition. It expressed vigilance against regime crackdowns on immigration and cutting international aid, advocating peaceful resolutions against wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
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Associated Press’ Religious Reporting will be supported through collaboration with the Associated Press and Conversation, along with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is responsible for this content only.
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