Washington, D.C. — U.S. Vice President JD Vance reflected on what he called a “pretty crazy” and deeply moving moment after meeting Pope Francis just hours before the pontiff’s death, making Vance the last high-ranking foreign official to see him alive.
Speaking to reporters in India on Wednesday before returning to Washington, Vance recounted his brief meeting with the pope on Easter Sunday morning at the Vatican. “I’ve thought about it a lot. It was pretty crazy,” he said. “Obviously, when I saw him, I didn’t know he had less than 24 hours left on Earth. I think it was a huge blessing.”
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The Vice President, who is Catholic, described the encounter as solemn and said he had sensed the pope’s fragile condition. “I knew he was very ill. I hadn’t realized how sick he was,” he added.
Vance praised Francis as “a great shepherd” and a defender of “the marginalized, the poor, and the sick,” choosing to focus on the pope’s pastoral legacy rather than political differences. “I’m aware that he had some disagreements with some of our Administration’s policies. He also strongly agreed with some of them. I’m not going to tarnish his legacy by talking about politics. I believe he was a great Christian pastor, and that’s how I choose to remember the Holy Father.”
Pope Francis welcomed Vance for a short meeting at 11:30 a.m. local time on Easter Sunday at his residence in Santa Marta. He passed away early Monday morning at 7:35 a.m., marking the end of a historic papacy that spanned more than a decade.
SOURCE : VATICAN NEWS/EFE. | Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
