JD Vance says Pope Francis was 'obviously very ill' during their meeting just hours before his death

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance delivered a heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis after the head of the Catholic church died just a day after their brief Easter 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,” Vance shared early Monday, April 21, in a somber post on X.

The message came mere hours after the Vatican confirmed the pope’s death, with Cardinal Kevin Farrell—the Camerlengo—officially announcing the news, reported The Independent.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance admitted. “But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful.”

He concluded by saying, “May God rest his soul.”

JD Vance's brief Easter meeting with Pope Francis

JD Vance and Pope Francis's meeting took place at the Domus Santa Marta on Easter Sunday. 

The Pope was frail but gracious as he exchanged warm holiday greetings with Vance during a short, private moment. The vice president reportedly said, “I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health.”

The pope thanked Vance and wished him “Happy Easter.” Vance—who was baptized Catholic in 2019—responded by saying, “Of course, thank you for seeing me.”

Before leaving, he told Pope Francis he prayed for him “every day” and again wished him “Happy Easter.”

An aide to the Pope subsequently gifted Vance a little Vatican swag for his family, including chocolate Easter eggs for his three children, a Vatican tie, and rosaries.

Pope Francis clashed with JD Vance and Trump administration over immigration

It wasn’t that long ago that Pope Francis and JD Vance were at very different ends of the immigration debate. In February, the pope appeared to sharply criticize the vice president and President Donald Trump's second administration over their hardline deportation efforts.

Vance has fiercely defended Trump's policies, even invoking Catholic doctrine to back his views. But Pope Francis didn’t stay silent.

In a carefully worded but pointed letter, the pope wrote that he’d been closely following the "major crisis" in the US tied to the mass deportation program. While he acknowledged that every nation has the right to protect its borders and citizens, he drew a moral line and pleaded to Catholics worldwide "not to give in to narratives that discriminate."

"The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness," he wrote. 

The pope added a final warning: "What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly."

Vance addressed the rebuke in a somewhat subdued tone at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast later that month. Though he avoided diving into the pope’s criticisms, he acknowledged them, calling himself a "baby Catholic" who still had "things about the faith that I don’t know."

JD Vance's diplomatic tour

The Easter Sunday meeting was part of JD Vance’s broader diplomatic tour on behalf of the Trump administration.

A day before meeting Pope Francis, Vance had held talks with senior Vatican officials, reportedly discussing "countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations," with a focus on immigration and prisoners.

The meeting was described as an "exchange of opinions," but it’s clear immigration remained a thorny topic behind those Vatican doors, Axios reported.