![VP JD Vance and Pope Francis. [ Photos courtesy of the Vatican]](https://i0.wp.com/thepavlovictoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/VP-Pence-and-Pope.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
JD Vance, the vice president of the United States, has found himself at the crossroads of history more than once. The self-described hillbilly from Yale — whose unlikely ascent to power brought his mother, once lost to addiction, to a sober appearance at the White House podium — added another chapter to his improbable journey this Easter in Rome.
There, Vance met Pope Francis. The vice president’s motorcade arrived at the Vatican at 11:30 a.m. and departed at 11:47 a.m. on Sunday, suggesting the meeting, though brief, carried the weight of history. Unbeknownst to Vance, he would be the last foreign dignitary to meet the pope before his death.
The pontiff, visibly frail and seated in a wheelchair, received the vice president in a quiet audience. A photograph captured the moment: Vance leaning in, smiling. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019. According to the Vatican, the meeting revolved around an “exchange of opinions” about migrants, refugees and prisoners.
The vice president’s press office stated in a readout that the meeting was about “their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”
![JD Vance meets the Pope. [ Photos courtesy of the Vatican]](https://i0.wp.com/thepavlovictoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JD-Vance-meets-the-Pope.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1)
The Vatican, in a separate readout, stated that during the talks, “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.”
Vance had nothing but great impressions from Italy. In a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he said that Rome is a “place that was built by people that love humans and love God and the streets, the buildings, the beautiful landscape and cityscape.” He added, “It really lifts up the human spirit.”
Following news of the pontiff’s death, Vance took to X to share his message. “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance wrote.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” stated Vance. “I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful.”
