Vance meets Vatican No. 2, have "exchange of opinions" over migrants, prisoners

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JD Vance visits the Vatican connected Easter play

JD Vance visits the Vatican connected Easter weekend 02:28

Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Francis astatine the Vatican connected Easter Sunday, a spokesperson for the vice president said, successful a uncommon gathering aft the 2 men have tangled sharply implicit immigration and the Trump administration's plans to deport migrants en masse.

Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy and his progressive views connected societal justness issues person often enactment him astatine likelihood with members of the much blimpish U.S. Catholic Church.

Francis besides changed religion teaching to accidental that superior punishment is inadmissible successful each cases.

Meanwhile, Vance had defended the administration's America-first crackdown by citing a conception from medieval Catholic theology known successful Latin arsenic "ordo amoris." He has said the conception delineates a hierarchy of attraction — to household first, followed by neighbor, community, chap citizens and lastly those elsewhere.

In a Feb. 10 letter, Francis appeared to close Vance's knowing of the concept.

"Christian emotion is not a concentric enlargement of interests that small by small extends to different persons and groups," helium wrote. "The existent ordo amoris that indispensable beryllium promoted is that which we observe by meditating perpetually connected the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' that is, by meditating connected the emotion that builds a fraternity unfastened to all, without exception."

Vance has acknowledged Francis' criticism but has said helium would proceed to support his views. During a Feb. 28 quality astatine the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast successful Washington, Vance didn't code the contented specifically but called himself a "baby Catholic" and acknowledged determination are "things astir the religion that I don't know."

Vance was spending Easter play successful Rome with his household and attended Good Friday services successful St. Peter's Basilica aft gathering with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. On Saturday, the Vances got a backstage circuit of the Sistine Chapel, and the vice president met with the Vatican's No. 2 official.

The Holy See reaffirmed bully relations with Vance aft the Saturday meeting, but noted "an speech of opinions" implicit existent planetary conflicts, migrants and prisoners.

The Vatican stated that Vance, who converted to Catholicism successful 2019, met with the caput of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the overseas minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

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The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration, keeping with its contented of diplomatic neutrality, expressing alarm implicit the administration's crackdown connected migrants and cuts successful planetary aid.

Those concerns were reflected successful the Vatican's connection connected Saturday, which said the talks were cordial and that it expressed restitution with the administration's committedness to protecting state of religion and conscience.

"There was an speech of opinions connected the planetary situation, particularly regarding countries affected by war, governmental tensions and hard humanitarian situations, with peculiar attraction to migrants, refugees, and prisoners," the connection said. "Finally, anticipation was expressed for serene collaboration betwixt the State and the Catholic Church successful the United States, whose invaluable work to the astir susceptible radical was acknowledged."

The notation to "serene collaboration" appeared to notation to Vance's accusation that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling "illegal immigrants" to get national funding. Top U.S. cardinals person pushed backmost powerfully against the claim.

"It is wide that the attack of the existent U.S. medication is precise antithetic from what we are utilized to and, particularly successful the West, from what we person relied connected for galore years," Parolin told La Repubblica regular connected the eve of Vance's visit.

The vice president's bureau confirmed the gathering betwixt Vance and Parolin, saying they "discussed their shared spiritual faith, Catholicism successful the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities astir the world, and President Trump's committedness to restoring satellite peace."

There was nary notation of the details offered by the Vatican.

Kristin Brown contributed to this report.