US Vice President JD Vance mourned Pope Francis’s demise on Monday, a day after meeting the Catholic Church’s head on the occasion of Easter Sunday in his trip to the Vatican, post which he flew to India along with his family.
“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,” JD Vance said in a post on X.
The Vatican on Monday announced the demise of Pope Francis, 88, who was the first ever Latin American pontiff.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 this year for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalisation of his 12-year papacy, according to news agency Associated Press.
Vance-Pope meet
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. 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,” Vance added.
US Vice President JD Vance met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Easter Sunday, shortly before the pontiff delivered a sermon calling on political leaders to support vulnerable populations. JD Vance India visit live updates
The meeting, announced by Vance’s office, marked the first encounter between a US vice president and the pope since 2020, during former President Donald Trump’s first term. Vance, a recent convert to Catholicism who was baptised in 2019, has been in Rome for several days on a mix of work and leisure, accompanied by his wife Usha and their three young children.
A video shared by US-based Catholic news network EWTN captured the moment Vance spoke with Pope Francis, who was seated in a wheelchair. During the exchange, the pontiff gifted the vice president a Vatican tie, rosary beads, and Easter eggs for each of Vance’s children.
“I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope, who had recently been discharged from a five-week hospital stay following a serious bout of pneumonia. “Thank you for seeing me.”
