Ammon News - U.S. Vice President JD Vance met privately with Pope Francis on Sunday at the pope’s residence in Rome, the Vatican confirmed, marking a surprise encounter during the Easter period.

According to the Vatican, the meeting was brief and focused on exchanging Easter greetings. A photo released by the Holy See showed Pope Francis in a wheelchair speaking with Vance.

The meeting followed recent criticism from the pope toward the Trump administration’s immigration stance. In an open letter to American bishops in February, Francis criticised anti-immigration rhetoric and implicitly rebuked statements made by Vance, urging Catholics to resist such narratives.

Vance, a Catholic convert of six years, has been in Rome with his family for Holy Week. He participated in Good Friday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and met separately on Saturday with top Vatican diplomats, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Initially, no meeting with the pope had been scheduled, especially given Francis’s recent health issues following a lengthy hospital stay. However, the pope has made several unscheduled appearances in recent days, despite still limiting his official engagements.

In video footage of the meeting, Vance greeted Francis warmly: “I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you in better health.” The pope’s aide presented Vance with small gifts, including Easter eggs for his children, a Vatican-themed tie, and rosaries. “I pray for you every day,” Vance told the pope before departing.

Their meeting took place at Casa Santa Marta, the pope’s residence, while Easter Mass was underway in St. Peter’s Square, led by a cardinal on Francis’s behalf. Later, the pope appeared on the basilica’s balcony, offering a blessing and Easter message to the crowds below.

In a prepared statement read by an aide, Pope Francis again condemned hostility toward migrants, saying: “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!”

Before his recent hospitalisation, the pope had directly criticised President Trump’s deportation policies, suggesting they undermine the dignity of vulnerable families. His February letter appeared to challenge Vance’s public defence of such policies, which he had framed through the lens of the Christian concept ordo amoris — the prioritisation of closer moral duties.

Francis, however, countered this with a vision of universal fraternity: “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted,” he wrote, “is love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”

Vance, addressing the pope’s critiques at February’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, acknowledged the disagreement but said he stood by his views.

During Vance’s Saturday talks with Vatican officials, they discussed several global humanitarian concerns, including the treatment of migrants, refugees, and prisoners, according to an official Vatican statement.