Vance said the Pope was “obviously very ill” during their Easter Sunday visit but said he was grateful for the meeting
“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. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance wrote on the social platform X
“But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul,” he continued, linking to remarks from March 2020, when the pontiff urged followers to turn to faith to provide strength and “courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time.”
On Sunday evening, Vance wrote that it was “an honor to meet with Pope Francis” and others in Italy over the weekend, attaching several photos.
“Visiting Rome with my family during Holy Week was an incredible experience,” the vice president wrote.
Francis and Vance clashed in the past over the Trump administration’s deportation policy. In February, the pope sharply criticized the deportations and seemed to address directly Vance’s defense of the policy on religious grounds. The pope noted the Bible says to “welcome the stranger,” saying governments have the responsibility to do so as much as possible.
