Vice President J.D. Vance made an interesting stop during his travels this week to talk about religion in one of the world's most religiously-centric locations.
According to Fox News, the vice president stopped in Rome to meet with top Vatican officials as part of official travel to Italy and India. The two parties spoke about religion and important topics of the day, including deportations.
The report noted that Vance and the Vatican officials had an "exchange of opinions" on the deportation issue.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with "Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, its foreign minister," Fox News noted.
The issue of deportations and migrants was reportedly a hot topic for the two parties. The Vatican released a statement following the meeting with Vance.
"There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners," the Vatican's statement read.
It added, "Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged."
Fox News noted:
He and Parolin "discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace," Vance’s office said.
It was reported that VP Vance was able to "briefly" meet with Pope Francis on Easter.
Pope Francis met briefly with U.S. Vice President @JDVance on Easter Sunday. The private audience lasted a few minutes. They exchanged Easter greetings, and the pope gave Vance a Vatican tie, rosaries and a set of three large chocolate Easter eggs for his kids. pic.twitter.com/v48BsukaDQ
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 20, 2025
The vice president made a social media post regarding his visit with the pope.
"It was an honor to visit the Vatican during Holy Week, and a blessing to experience the beauty and reverence of the Good Friday liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica," Vance wrote on X.
Many across social media offered well wishes to the vice president for Easter.
Others injected politics into the matter, while some criticized the pope.
