JD Vance: I'm Happy I Got to Meet the Pope

Vice President JD Vance has acknowledged the passing of Pope Francis a day after their meeting at the Vatican. "My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," the Catholic convert wrote Monday on X, per USA Today. Vance said he was "happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill." A photo showed a smiling Vance opposite the pope, who sat in a wheelchair. It was a brief encounter. "Vance's motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes," the Guardian reports. The Vatican said the pair met for a few minutes "to exchange Easter greetings." It was the 88-year-old pontiff's "last official meeting," per CNBC.

"I know you have not been feeling great but it's good to see you in better health," Vance told Francis, who'd rebuked the Trump administration for its mass deportation of migrants in a letter to US bishops in February, per Huff Post. "Thank you for seeing me." Vance had returned to the Vatican after meeting with only the Vatican's secretary of state and foreign minister on Saturday. On Monday, Vance said he'll "always remember [the pope] for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful." The White House's X account posted photos of the pope with Vance and with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, along with the caption, "Rest in Peace, Pope Francis," per CNBC. (More Pope Francis stories.)