Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Francisco in the Vatican on Easter Sunday, a rare meeting after two men were scattered by immigration and Trump’s administration’s plans to deport immigrants in large numbers, a spokesman for the vice president said.
Francis’ concern about immigration was a hallmark of his pope, and his progressive view of social justice often led him to conflict with more conservative American Catholic Church members.
Francis also changed the teachings of the church, saying that in all cases the death penalty was unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Vance defended the first government repression by invoking a concept of medieval Catholic theology as “Ordo Amoris.” The concept portrays a level of care hierarchy—first by family, second by neighbors, community, compatriots, and finally elsewhere, he said.
In a letter dated February 10, Francis seemed to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept.
“Christian love is not an accidental expansion of the concentric interest of other people and groups,” he wrote. “The true Ordo Amoris that must be promoted is what we find through constant meditation on the allegory of the Good Samaritan, that is, through meditation, the love that builds open to all, without exception.”
Vance acknowledged Francis’ criticism but said he would continue to defend his views. In his appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington on February 28, Vance did not specifically address the issue, but called himself a “baby Catholic” and admitted there was “things about faith I didn’t know.”
Vatican Media/AP
Vance spent Easter weekend with his family in Rome and attended Good Friday service at St. Peter’s Basilica after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Vances privately visited the Sistine Chapel on Saturday, and the vice president met with the Vatican official No. 2.
After Saturday’s meeting, the Holy See reiterated its good relations with Vance, but pointed to the current international conflict, “exchange of opinions” between immigrants and prisoners.
The Vatican said in 2019, converted to the Catholic Vance met with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
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The Holy See responded cautiously to the Trump administration, following its diplomatic neutral tradition, and expressed shock at the government’s crackdown on immigration and cuts of international aid.
The concerns were reflected in a Vatican statement Saturday, which said the negotiations were cordial and satisfied with the government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom and conscience.
“Exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially on countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, pay special attention to immigration, refugees and prisoners,” the statement said. “Ultimately, hope is expressed in the quiet cooperation between the United States and the Catholic Church, who provide valuable services to the most vulnerable people.”
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The term for “serene cooperation” appears to refer to Vance’s allegation that the American Catholic Bishops’ meeting is relocating “illegal immigrants” to obtain federal funding. The top American cardinals strongly oppose this claim.
Parolin told Los Angeles Repubblica on the eve of Vance’s visit that it is clear that the current U.S. government’s approach is very different from our past dependence, especially in the West. ”
The vice president’s office confirmed the meeting between Vance and Palorin, saying they “discussed their shared religious beliefs, the plight of Catholicism in the United States, the persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”
No details provided by the Vatican were mentioned.
Contributed to this report.
