April 20, 2025, Easter Sunday, saw the arrival of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican a day before the latter died at 88 years old. The meeting was for a day and was an emotional but warm-hearted encounter that was conducted in the pope’s apartment in the Vatican hotel, and included one of the last moments of engagement of Pope Francis before he died on Easter Monday.
The setting and atmosphere
Pope Francis was visibly frail and in a wheelchair for the meeting, showing the cost of his poor health after a recent struggle with double pneumonia and other respiratory ailments earlier in the year. In spite of the clear sickness of the pope, he welcomed Vance warmly and had a few brief polite words with him. Vance, a convert Catholic, related how delighted he was to see the pope, continuing to remark, “I know you haven’t been feeling well, but it’s nice to see you in better shape.” The pope replied by means of a priest interpreter, giving Vance things such as three huge Easter chocolate eggs for Vance’s three children, a Vatican tie, and rosaries.
The duration and content of the meeting
The session took only around 17 minutes, an important but not lengthy interaction amid the pope’s condition and significance of the date—the Easter Sunday, the primary celebration of the Christian faith. Political observers assessed the meeting as poignant, asserting that Vance was “very lucky” to gain such an occasion almost in the pope’s dying moments. The meeting was explained as cordial, with some sharing of points based on their differing political thoughts, most particularly on immigration policy.
Political background and disagreement stances
Pope Francis had been a strong critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, to which President Donald Trump’s Vice President, Vance, had been sympathetic. The pope had publicly denounced hardline immigration crackdowns and made his papacy about how migrants were treated. These aside, the meeting was cordial. Vance received the pope’s criticisms but reiterated that his intention was not to litigate with the clergy regarding political differences. He accepted Pope Francis as a person who is essentially concerned about Christians all over the world.
Gifts and symbolism
Gifts to Vance by the pope were symbolic. Three giant Easter eggs made of chocolate were a present to Vance’s children, left behind in the meeting, symbolizing the pope’s mind and Easter symbolism of hope and regeneration. The rosaries and Vatican tie added to the symbolic aspect of highlighting religious and diplomatic aspects of the encounter.
Vance’s tribute and reflection
In the wake of the news of the pope’s passing on April 21, Vance went on social media to offer tribute, sending condolences to Christians around the world and recalling the meeting. He recalled Pope Francis as “clearly very sick” but remembered him for a lovely homily the pope preached at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, praising the pontiff for his lasting spiritual impact. Vance ended his tribute with a prayerful observation: “May God rest his soul.” The encounter and the death of the pope had a profound impact on Vance, who has not been shy to speak about his Catholicism since becoming one in 2019.
Broader significance
JD Vance’s encounter with Pope Francis was not only a personal encounter but also symbolic reunification of religion, politics, and diplomacy at a particular moment in history. It highlighted the pope’s position as a spiritual leader above political divides and the vice president’s respect for that leadership in spite of policy disagreements. The meeting also pointed to the pope’s commitment to his work to the last, having been surprisingly active by delivering his annual Easter speech and blessing crowds of people hours before he died.
During Pope Francis’s last hours, his encounter with Vice President JD Vance was a warm but poignant moment characterized by affection, respect, and thoughtful gifts. It was a reflection of the pope’s unwavering dedication to religion and humanity even in weakness and of Vance’s acknowledgment of the pope’s spiritual legacy despite political disagreement. The encounter is a poignant scene in the last act of Pope Francis’s influential papacy.
Read more: This is the latest proposal of Bukele (El Salvador) with an exchange of Venezuelans deported to the U.S. for Venezuelan “political prisoners”
Read more: Who is Bob Menendez, Democratic Senator convicted of corruption in the United States
