Pope Francis meets with Vice President JD Vance on Easter morning despite political tensions
Pope Francis met privately with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Easter morning at the Vatican. The brief meeting comes despite their past disagreements over Trump-era immigration policies.
In a moment of diplomacy and Easter tradition, Pope Francis met privately with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Easter Sunday morning, according to a Vatican statement.
The meeting took place at the pope's Vatican residence and was described as a brief encounter to exchange good wishes for the holiday.
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Pope Francis and JD Vance exchange Easter greetings despite past policy disputes
The meeting lasted only a few minutes, but it was enough to draw attention as the issues between Pope Francis and Vane over immigration policies are very well-known.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, has publicly supported Donald Trump and the administration's strict deportation policies; which the Pope has strongly opposed.
Tensions between JD Vance and Pope Francis
Pope Francis has previously described Trump's immigration policies as a "disgrace" and has publicly responded to Vance's theological defense of these policies in an open letter to U.S. bishops.
Pope Francis has never backed down from his stance and has called the situation in the U.S. a "major crisis" for the country.
Despite all of this, after the meeting the Pope made a public appearance on St. Peter's square, to greet the public from his Popemobile after the Easter Mass.