Vance meets Pope Francis on Easter Sunday after being tangled up abruptly by migration

Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Easter Sunday, said a spokesman for the vice president, at a rare meeting after the two men have been abruptly tangled up on immigration and the Trump administration plans to deport mass migrants.

Francis has made the care of migrants a distinctive seal of his papacy and his progressive views on social justice issues have often disagreed with the members of the most conservative Catholic Church in the United States.

Francis also changed the teaching of the Church to say that capital punishment is inadmissible in all cases.

Meanwhile, Vance had defended the first American repression of the administration by citing a concept of medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as “Ordo Amoris”. He has said that the concept delineates a hierarchy of attention, for the family first, followed by a neighbor, community, fellow citizens and, finally, those in other places.

In a letter on February 10, Francis seemed to correct the understanding of the concept of Vance.

“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that gradually extends to other people and groups,” he wrote. “The true Ordo Amoris that must be promoted is what we discover constantly meditating in the parable of the ‘good Samaritan’, that is, meditating the love that builds an open fraternity to all, without exception.”

Vance has recognized Francis’s criticism, but said he would continue to defend his views. During an appearance of February 28 at the National Breakfast of Catholic prayer in Washington, Vance did not approach the problem specifically, but that he called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged that there are “things about the faith that I do not know.”

Vance was spending the Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended the services of Good Friday in the Basilica of San Pedro after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Saturday, Vances obtained a private tour of the Sistine Chapel, and the vice president met with official number 2 of the Vatican.

The Holy See reaffirmed good relations with Vance after Saturday’s meeting, but pointed out “an exchange of opinions” about current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners.

The Vatican declared that Vance, who became Catholicism in 2019, met with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The Holy See has responded to the Trump administration, maintaining its tradition of diplomatic neutrality, expressing alarm for the repression of administration against migrants and cuts in international aid.

These concerns were reflected in the Vatican’s statement on Saturday, which said that conversations were cordial and expressed satisfaction with the commitment of the administration to protect freedom of religion and conscience.

“There was an exchange of opinions about the international situation, especially with respect to countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with special attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners,” the statement said. “Finally, Hope expressed himself for serene collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people were recognized.”

The reference to the “serene collaboration” seemed to refer to Vance’s accusation that the US Catholic Bishops Conference. UU. It was re -providing “illegal immigrants” to obtain federal funds. The main US cardinals have strongly withdrawn against the claim.

“It is clear that the approach of the current US administration is very different from what we are used to and, especially in the West, of what we have based for many years,” Parolin told the Daily Repubblica on the eve of Vance’s visit.

The Vice President’s office confirmed the meeting between Vance and Parolin, saying that “they discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the difficult situation of the Christian communities pursued throughout the world and the commitment of President Trump to restore world peace.”

The details offered by the Vatican were not mentioned.

Kristin Brown contributed to this report.

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