The US Vice President, who has converted to Catholicism at age 35, also hopes to meet Pope Francis, who is recovering from severe pneumonia
US Vice President Jd Vance arrived on Saturday at the Vatican, where he should meet the Secretary of State of the Holy See, two months after the Pope strongly criticized Donald Trump’s migratory policy.
Devote Catholic, Jd Vance arrived at the Apostolic Palace with his delegation just before 9:00 in Lisbon (8:00 GMT) for conversations with Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states.
Vance, who has become Catholicism at age 35, also hopes to meet Pope Francis, who is recovering from severe pneumonia and should attend Easter Mass on Sunday, although his presence is not officially confirmed.
Jd Vance received at the Vatican by Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin (EPA/Lusa)
Deep ideological cleavages separate the two men: the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics defends a more open church and defends the welcome of migrants, while Vance wants to turn his country into a fortress of conservative values.
In February, Francis provoked the wrath of the White House when, in a letter to the American bishops, he condemned the mass expulsions of Donald Trump migrants, describing them as a “great crisis.” “What is built on the foundation of strength, and not on the truth of the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end up badly,” he warned.
In 2024, the pontiff rarely raid the American election campaign, describing anti-migrant attitudes as “madness” and criticizing American right-wing Catholic figures for their too conservative positions.
Vance is close to the conservative bangs of the US Church, which is very critical of the Argentine Pope for his positions on migrants, the faithful LGBT+ and certain issues of social justice.
Upon arriving in Rome on Friday for Easter weekend, Vance met with the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. He then moved to the Basilica of St. Peter, accompanied by his wife and three children, to attend the Passion Ceremony on Holy Friday, which celebrates the death of Christ on the cross, but Francis was not present.
However, the Pope began to receive visits, including King Carlos III, and this week ventured out of the Vatican to meet prisoners in the central prison of Rome to fulfill a commitment of Holy Thursday.
The Pope appointed other cardinals to preside over this weekend’s pascal ceremonies, but the authorities did not exclude the possibility of a brief greeting to Vance.
