JD Vance attempted to repair his strained relationship with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Easter Sunday, following criticism from the Catholic leader towards the treatment of undocumented immigrants by the Trump administration.

The meeting took place the day after Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, seemingly did not receive a warm reception from the Pope and instead had to engage with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Peter Gallagher, the foreign minister.

The Vatican said the meeting between the vice president and the Holy Father was ‘brief’ and lasted a few minutes.  

Vance and the Pope have been at odds over immigration policies, particularly concerning the Trump administration’s strategies to deport large numbers of migrants. Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of caring for migrants throughout his time as the pontiff.

The 88-year-old pope offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

‘I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you in better health,’ Vance told the Pope. ‘Thank you for seeing me.’

Vance´s motorcade entered Vatican City through a side gate while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter´s Square. Francis had delegated the celebration of the Mass to another cardinal.

The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta ‘to exchange Easter greetings.’

Vance’s office said the vice president ‘expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family.’

‘I pray for you every day,’ Vance said as he bid Francis farewell. ‘God bless you.’

In all, Vance´s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes. 

The vice president later joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. 

The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul that is said to be located there.

Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis blasted the deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. 

In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.

Vance has acknowledged Francis´ criticism but has said he will continue to defend his views. 

During a February 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn´t address the issue specifically but called himself a ‘baby Catholic’ and acknowledged there are ‘things about the faith that I don´t know.’

Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The vice president´s office said 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.’

The Vatican, for its part, said there was an ‘exchange of opinions’ including over migrants and refugees and current conflicts.

The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration while seeking to continue productive relations in keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality. 

It has expressed alarm over the administration’s crackdown on migrants and cuts in international aid while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Vance has been spending Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended Good Friday services in St Peter’s Basilica on Friday after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

The vice president, who converted in 2019, identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement often called ‘postliberal’, which is viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings. 

Postliberals share some longstanding Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions like universities from within, replacing entrenched ‘elites’ with their own and acting upon their vision of the ‘common good.’

Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis blasted the Trump administration’s deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. 

In a letter to US bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.

Vance had defended the administration’s America-first crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as ‘ordo amoris.’ 

He has said the concept delineates a hierarchy of care – to family first, followed by neighbor, community, fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere.

In his February 10 letter, Francis appeared to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept.

‘Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extends to other persons and groups,’ he wrote.

‘The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the Good Samaritan, that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.’

Those concerns were reflected in the Vatican’s statement issued today which said the talks were cordial and expressed satisfaction with the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting freedom of religion and conscience.

‘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 statement said.

‘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.’

The reference to ‘serene collaboration’ appeared to refer to Mr Vance’s accusation that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling ‘illegal immigrants’ in order to get federal funding. Senior US cardinals have pushed back strongly against the claim.