The day before his passing, Pope Francis met with Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican. During the meeting, the vice president was presented with gifts for himself, his wife Second Lady Usha Vance and their three kids, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The gifts included three large chocolate Easter eggs for JD's kids, a Vatican tie, as well as rosaries for himself, wife and children, per the Catholic News Agency.
The vice president's meeting with the late pope took place on Easter Sunday at Casa Santa Marta. The office of the vice president shared that JD "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."
"Thank you for seeing me," the vice president told the pontiff. "I pray for you every day," JD also said. "God bless you."
On Sunday, the vice president shared a carousel of photos from his meeting with the pope. "Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health," he captioned the post, adding, "Happy Easter!"
According to the vice president's office, JD and his family celebrated Easter Sunday with a private mass at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls.
Pope Francis passed away the day after his meeting with the vice president of the United States. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the pope's death on Easter Monday, saying (via Vatican News): "Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."
The vice president, who departed Italy on April 20 to travel to India, reacted to Pope Francis' passing on Monday, writing on X (formerly Twitter): "I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul."