Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 20.Vatican Media/The Associated Press
JD Vance’s three-day visit to Rome – dubbed on social media as Roman Holiday, the title of the classic Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck film – took on the proportions of a presidential, even regal, visit.
On Saturday, the U.S. Vice President, his wife, Usha Vance, and their three young children had a private tour of the Vatican Museums’ Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece and the site of the papal conclaves, where popes are elected. Normally, the chapel is packed with lesser mortals on tour.
On the same day, Mr. Vance’s arrived for his official visit to the Vatican in a 40-vehicle motorcade of black, dark-windowed sedans, SUVs and vans that clogged traffic and left bewildered Romans wondering which vehicle he was actually in. There, he met the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is considered a candidate to succeed the ailing Pope Francis, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Foreign Minister.
That evening, Ms. Vance had a private tour of the Colosseum (her husband had another commitment), led by its director, Alfonsina Russo. Reportedly, visitors with tickets in hand were denied entry at the time of her visit, leading to disarray, as some tried to force their way over fences and into the gates. Some chanted “shame” when they learned Ms. Vance had commandeered the gladiatorial arena, Italian media reported.
Yet there was no hint that the luxury that Mr. Vance coveted most during his visit – an audience with Pope Francis – would happen.
There were rumours the pontiff, who is 88 and recovering from a long bout of double pneumonia that almost killed him in March, would snub the Vice President over disagreements on issues ranging from immigration to Gaza. The Pope’s health was apparently not an obstacle; on April 9, Francis had mustered enough energy to meet King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, on their visit to Rome for their 20th anniversary.
But on Sunday morning, Mr. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019 and calls himself a “baby Catholic,” did manage to see the Pope at his simple Casa Santa Marta residence behind St. Peter’s Basilica. The visit, at 11:30 a.m., lasted only a few minutes, during which time the Pope offered Mr. Vance a Vatican necktie, rosaries and, for his children, three chocolate Easter eggs.
The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta "to exchange Easter greetings." Vance and the pope have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.
The Associated Press
It’s not known what the two men discussed. Mr. Vance’s office confirmed only that they had met, and the Vatican said that they got together “to exchange Easter greetings” and nothing more. A photo showed Mr. Vance in a dark suit and yellow tie approaching the pontiff in his wheelchair. The Vice President reportedly said: “I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health. Thank you for seeing me.”
For Mr. Vance, the evidently more substantive meeting had happened the day before, when he met Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher. Mr. Vance’s office said that he and Cardinal Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to world peace.”
The Vatican was more circumspect: “There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners,” its statement says.
“Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”
The reference to “serene collaboration” may have been a reference to Mr. Vance’s assertion that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling undocumented migrants in order to get federal funding. Top U.S. cardinals denied the claim.
Two months earlier, Mr. Vance and the Vatican had clashed over the treatment of migrants. Francis had sent a letter to U.S. bishops that condemned the Trump administration’s “mass deportations.” The letter appeared to take criticize Mr. Vance for having suggested that the Medieval Catholic concept of “ordo amoris” – order of love – could be used to defend the expulsions by scaling moral responsibilities for Christian care: Family first, then neighbours, community, fellow citizens then all others.
Francis wrote in his retort to Mr. Vance that “the true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan.’”
After Mr. Vance’s fleeting meeting with Francis, the Pope celebrated mass from the loggia of St. Peter’s basilica. He spoke briefly, obviously weak, before passing his text to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations.
Francis’s address called for an end to the conflict in Gaza: “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
Mr. Vance ended his Rome visit with a simple “Happy Easter” message on X. On Monday, he is off to India, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.