Pope Francis met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Easter Sunday in a private and brief meeting as the pontiff recovers from pneumonia.
Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, met Francis at the Domus Santa Marta for a few minutes “to exchange Easter greetings”, the Vatican said.
His motorcade entered Vatican City through a side gate and parked near Francis’ hotel residence while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. Francis, who has greatly cut back his workload to recover, delegated the celebration of the Mass to another cardinal.
“Pope Francis had a brief private encounter … lasting a few minutes, in order to exchange good wishes on Easter day,” said the statement.
After Easter Mass, the pope later appeared in St. Peter’s Square to greet crowds in an open-air popemobile.
Vance’s office issued a brief statement confirming the meeting, but offered no further details.
The vice president, who has been visiting Italy with his family this weekend, met with the Vatican secretary of state and the foreign minister for more formal talks on Saturday. The pope did not take part in those discussions.
In a statement on Saturday, the Vatican said Vance and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, had “cordial talks” that included an “exchange of opinions” concerning “countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners”.
The pope and Vatican officials have criticised several of the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration, including his plans to deport millions of migrants from the U.S. and his widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programmes.
Francis has called the immigration crackdown a “disgrace”. Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the policy.
The pope rebutted the theological concept Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the U.S. Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Trump’s plan a “major crisis” for the United States.
Vance has acknowledged Francis’ criticism but has said he would continue to defend his views. While he had criticised Francis on social media in the past, Vance has recently posted prayers for Francis’ recovery.
He attended Good Friday services in St. Peter’s Basilica after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni earlier in the week.
