Pope Francis and JD Vance's final meeting sheds light on their years-long relation

VP JD Vance's unexpected meeting with Pope Francis, just a day before Francis's death.

When Vice President JD Vance arrived in Rome over Easter weekend, the buzz was already swirling: the Pope had reportedly declined to meet him. Critics speculated that Pope Francis, unwell and often at odds with Vance’s political stances, had intentionally snubbed the rising Republican.

Vice President JD Vance meets Pope Francis in Rome on Easter Sunday, despite initial reports of a snub. (AP)

But, Vance did meet the Pope — on Easter Sunday morning, and on what would turn out to be the final full day of Francis’s life.

JD Vance’s unexpected visit to Pope Francis

As the streets of Rome shut down and a motorcade carried Vance past waving flags — the Stars and Stripes alongside the Vatican’s yellow and white — the atmosphere shifted. Vance, a 40-year-old Catholic convert and one of the youngest men ever to serve as US vice president, was ushered into Casa Santa Marta, the Pope’s residence, for a private audience.

“Hello, so good to see you,” Vance said gently as he approached the frail pontiff, seated in a wheelchair. Pope Francis, who had just delivered a somber Easter message condemning the treatment of migrants and warning against leaders who “yield to the logic of fear,” appeared too weak to speak much.

Still, he welcomed Vance with quiet dignity. “Thank you very much for your visit,” Francis whispered, per The Washington Post.

“Of course. Of course,” Vance replied. “And thank you for seeing me.”

Though their views on immigration and social justice have often clashed — Francis criticised the “contempt” shown to the marginalised, while Vance has defended Trump’s hardline deportation policies.

Vance praised Pope Francis at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Only weeks earlier, Vance had offered surprisingly warm words about the Pope at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast: “That is how I will always remember the Holy Father: as a great pastor, as a man who can speak the truth of the faith in a very profound way at a moment of great crisis.”

The VP shared how Francis’s homily during the early days of COVID deeply moved him. With a newborn at home and the world locked down, Vance recalled stockpiling rice and ammunition, unsure of what lay ahead. The Pope’s message in that empty St. Peter’s Square struck a chord that stayed with him.

Following the Pope’s death the next day, Vance turned once again to that sermon, posting a link to it on X and writing: “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him… May God rest his soul.”