On Easter Sunday morning, Pope Francis held a brief private meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican, offering a symbolic gesture of diplomacy despite their differing views on key issues.
According to a statement from the Holy See, the encounter lasted only a few minutes and centered on exchanging Easter greetings. Vance, a practicing Catholic who converted in 2019, has been in Italy over the holiday weekend with his family.
While his meeting with the Pope was brief and largely ceremonial, he also held more substantive discussions with senior Vatican officials on Saturday. Pope Francis, still recovering from a bout of double pneumonia, did not participate in those talks.
The meeting comes against a backdrop of growing ideological friction between the Vatican and the Trump administration, which Vance represents. One of the most contentious issues remains immigration.
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Pope Francis has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, including mass deportation plans and cuts to foreign aid and welfare programs. He previously described the immigration crackdown as a “disgrace” and voiced concern over the moral and humanitarian implications.
Vance, meanwhile, has defended the administration’s stance by invoking traditional Catholic teachings, even referencing medieval-era theology to justify the government’s approach.
The Pope responded earlier this year in an open letter to U.S. Catholic bishops, rejecting the theological rationale and labeling the immigration plan a “major crisis” for America.
Though Sunday’s meeting was short, it reflected an ongoing effort—however delicate—to maintain dialogue between two very different visions of Catholic values in public life. For now, Easter offered a brief moment of civility, even amid deep political and theological divides.
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