JD Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with Pope Francis

WASHINGTON AP One of Pope Francis final encounters before his death was with U S Vice President JD Vance who visited the Vatican over the weekend The meeting took place on Easter Sunday Vance a Catholic convert entered the room and reached down for the pope s hand Hello the vice president explained So good to see you Francis was sitting in a wheelchair and his words were inaudible in a video circulated by the Vatican I know you ve not been feeling great but it s good see you in better physical condition Vance explained A priest serving as a translator spoke for the pope These are for your children the priest noted as someone presented Vance with chocolate eggs Next came a tray of additional gifts including rosaries and a Vatican tie Thank you Vance announced as he held the dark tie So beautiful They posed for a photo Vance standing to the pope s right before bidding him farewell I pray for you every day Vance commented God bless you Vance s visit was not without political sensitivities and he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday for what the Vatican described as an exchange of opinions The Catholic Church under Francis leadership has championed the rights of movers while Vance and President Donald Trump have advocated for crackdowns Vance s office disclosed the vice president and the cardinal 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 White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reported reporters that she had spoken to members of Vance s club on Monday morning after Francis death They expressed how excited and grateful they were for the opportunity to have met with the pope just the previous day she revealed Leavitt added that Francis touched millions of lives throughout his tenure as the head of the Catholic Church and so it s a solemn day for Catholics around the world and we are praying for all those who loved the pope and supposed in him Trump issued a announcement on Truth Social Rest in Peace Pope Francis May God Bless him and all who loved him At the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday Trump declared he signed an executive order for U S flags to fly at half-staff in the pope s honor He was a good man the president explained reporters He loved the world and it s an honor to do that Vance who continued on to India after Italy posted additional thoughts on social media 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 he wrote on X I was happy to see him the last evening though he was obviously very ill Vance shared a link to remarks that Francis gave on March as COVID- was spreading around the globe I ll inevitably remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID Vance wrote It was really quite beautiful Francis had spoken from St Peter s Basilica in Rome Thick darkness has gathered over our squares our streets and our cities he revealed It has taken over our lives filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void He encouraged people to rely on their faith to help then endure because with God life never dies