US Vice President JD Vance has revealed that he has “thought a lot about” the fact he saw the Pope only the day before the pontiff died, describing the Easter encounter “as a great blessing”.
JD Vance was among the last officials to meet with an ailing Pope Francis before he died on Easter Monday. Vance spoke about the 20 April encounter with reporters in Agra, India, while on a four-day visit with his wife, Usha, the first Hindu-American second lady, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263597/jd-vance-on-pope-francis-he-was-a-great-christian-pastor"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> the <em>Catholic News Agency (CNA)</em>.
When asked about that now seemingly providential meeting on the morning of Easter Sunday, Vance said he had “thought a lot about that”.
“I think it was a great blessing,” Vance added.
Vance met the Pope during a <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/jd-vance-to-meet-cardinal-parolin-on-easter-trip-to-rome/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">state visit to Italy that preceded his onward journey to India</mark></a>. The main purpose of the two visits was to discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with the leaders of both governments, according to the White House. The full trip occurred from 18 April through 24 April.
During the papal audience, Pope Francis gave the vice-president three chocolate Easter eggs for his three young children as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.
“It’s pretty crazy actually, and obviously when I saw him I didn’t know he had less than 24 hours still on this earth,” Vance said, before adding:
“He saw a lot of people, he affected a lot of lives. I try to just remember that I was lucky I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day because I did and I do.”
Vance also discussed how he is refusing to politicise Pope Francis’s death.
“A lot of people, especially in the American press, want to make the Holy Father – his entire legacy and even his death – about American politics,” Vance told reporters in Agra.
“He was obviously a much broader figure than the United States of America. He represents over a billion Catholics worldwide,” Vance said.
When asked about the “disagreements" that the Pope had with President Donald Trump, both during the latter's first presidential administration and as his second one got started, Vance said he was “aware” of them before highlighting that the Pope “also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration".
“I’m not going to soil the man’s legacy by talking about politics,” Vance added. “I think he was a great Christian pastor, and that’s how I choose to remember the Holy Father.”
When asked about what type of pope he would prefer to be elected next, Vance said he would pray for the cardinals who will cast the votes in the upcoming conclave, <em>CNA</em> reports.
“I won’t pretend to give guidance to the cardinals on who they should select as the next pope,” the US vice-president said. “We’ve got plenty of issues to focus on in the United States.”
He added: “I’ll just say a prayer for wisdom because I obviously want them to pick the right person, I want them to pick somebody who will be good for the world’s Catholics, but I’ll let them make that decision and obviously they’re entitled to do so."
Vance also offered condolences to Catholics around the world coming to terms with Pope Francis’s death.
“We’re very saddened by it,” Vance said. “Our condolences to Catholics all over the world, but especially [to those] back home who love and honour the Holy Father.”
Vance has previously spoken publicly in praise of the homily Pope Francis gave in an empty St. Peter’s Square at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with Vance describing how meaningful it was to him at the time and that it remains meaningful to him today.
“That is how I will always remember the Holy Father, as a great pastor, as a man who can speak truth to faith in a very profound way at a moment of great crisis,” Vance said in a speech at the annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held in the US capitol at the end of February this year.
He also commented: “I think that we should, frankly, take a page out of the books of our grandparents who respected our clergy, who looked to them for guidance, but didn’t obsess and fight over every single word that came out of their mouth and entered social media. I don’t think that’s good."
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/jd-vance-acknowledges-popes-criticism-and-prays-for-his-recovery/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: JD Vance acknowledges Pope’s criticism and prays for his recovery</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Rajasthan International Centre on April 22, 2025 in Jaipur, India. The Vice President's remarks focused on the U.S. and India's shared economic priorities. (Photo Kenny Holston - Pool/Getty Images)</em>
