Pope Francis met with Vice President JD Vance on Easter morning in the Vatican before giving a blessing to well-wishers in St. Peter’s Square and riding through the crowd in his Popemobile on Sunday.
Francis, 88, gifted Vance three big chocolate Easter eggs for his three children, who did not make the trip. The two men spoke briefly at the Vatican hotel where the pope lives.
“I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Vance, 40, converted to Catholicism in 2019. He spent a total of 17 minutes inside Vatican City on Sunday before celebrating Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
“I pray for you every day,” Vance told the pope just before his departure. “God bless you.”
Francis only recently left the hospital after a life-threatening battle with double pneumonia. He has been recovering at home and making brief public appearances.
Though Francis delegated the celebration of Easter Mass to another cardinal, he made a brief appearance on a balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square to proclaim “Buona Pasqua!” or “Happy Easter” in Italian. He then surprised the crowd by appearing in the square itself, riding in his custom vehicle, known as the popemobile.
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Pope Francis tours St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile after bestowing a blessing at the end of the Easter mass at the Vatican on Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
In the months before Sunday’s visit, Francis and Vance have exchanged words online in arguments over migration. President Trump’s administration has cracked down on immigration in the U.S., which Francis has criticized as un-Christian.
“An authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized,” Francis wrote in a February public letter to U.S. bishops. “Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception.”
With News Wire Services
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