Vice President JD Vance traveled to the Vatican hoping for a big moment: a high-profile meeting with Pope Francis. Instead, he got ghosted.
Rather than greeting Vance personally, the Pope skipped the scheduled meeting entirely and sent Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, in his place. Their conversation? A not-so-subtle lecture on helping the vulnerable—especially migrants, refugees, and prisoners.
According to the Vatican, the discussion focused on “global conflicts” and “difficult humanitarian situations,” with a clear emphasis on compassion and care for the marginalized. It wasn’t exactly a warm diplomatic handshake—it sounded more like a moral correction.
There were reports from Sky News that Vance briefly saw the Pope privately, but there were no photos, no official acknowledgment, and nothing to confirm it actually happened. The main event—the official sit-down—simply didn’t take place.
The Message Was Clear
Pope Francis has been outspoken against harsh immigration policies, especially mass deportations. He’s called them a “disgrace” and a “grave sin.” Vance, a Catholic convert and one of the most vocal defenders of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda, has stood on the opposite side of that issue.
Earlier this year, Vance even tried to use a Catholic concept, ordo amoris (the “order of love”), to argue that Americans should come first. The Pope publicly pushed back—without naming names—saying Christian love doesn’t work like a circle that just grows outward based on who’s closest.
Vance later admitted the criticism stung. “I’m a baby Catholic,” he said. “There are things about the faith that I don’t know.”
Not His First Clash With the Church
This isn’t the first time Vance has bumped heads with Catholic leadership. Back in January, he accused the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops of using migrant resettlement programs as a money-making scheme. That drew swift condemnation from New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who slammed Vance’s remarks as “scurrilous,” “nasty,” and flat-out false.
Meanwhile, the Pope Isn’t That Busy
Pope Francis, now 88 and recently recovered from pneumonia, seems to be picking his meetings carefully—but not canceling everything. He met with King Charles and Queen Camilla just days before Vance arrived.
Vance did attend the Vatican’s Good Friday service with his wife, Usha, and met with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his trip. But the high point—a sit-down with the Pope—was nowhere to be seen.
No handshake photo. No joint statement. No public blessing.
Just a firm reminder: the Church’s priorities aren’t lining up with Vance’s—and they’re not afraid to say it.
