Dead Pope's Final Words To VP JD Vance Are Unknown
The final meeting between Pope Francis and U.S. Vice President JD Vance occurred on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, just hours before the pontiff’s death at age 88. Their brief encounter, lasting only a few minutes, was marked by an exchange of Easter greetings, with Francis gifting Vance rosaries, a Vatican tie, and three large chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s children. While specific last words from Pope Francis to Vance are not fully documented in available accounts, Vance later noted the pope’s frail condition, saying he was “obviously very ill” but that the meeting was a personal and spiritual honor. The conversation reportedly included Vance expressing gratitude for the meeting and saying, “I pray for you every day. God bless you,” to which Francis, weakened by recent health struggles, responded with a gesture of blessing or acknowledgment, though exact words remain unrecorded.
The context of their meeting was complex, shaped by prior tensions over immigration policy. Pope Francis had publicly criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, which Vance defended, citing Catholic doctrine like ordo amoris to justify prioritizing local communities. In February 2025, Francis had penned a letter to U.S. bishops, implicitly rebuking Vance’s interpretation, emphasizing that Christian love should extend universally, not hierarchically. During their Easter Sunday exchange, Francis likely refrained from revisiting this dispute directly, focusing instead on the spiritual significance of the holiday. Any words spoken would have carried the weight of his lifelong advocacy for migrants and the marginalized, perhaps subtly underscoring his call for compassion in contrast to Vance’s political stance. The pope’s physical weakness, following a battle with double pneumonia, suggests his words were few, possibly limited to a blessing or a simple expression of goodwill.
After the meeting, Francis delivered his final public message, the Urbi et Orbi blessing, where an aide read his speech condemning anti-migrant sentiment and calling for peace in Gaza and Ukraine. This address, though not directed at Vance personally, served as a poignant backdrop to their earlier interaction, reinforcing the pope’s moral stance. If Francis spoke any parting words to Vance, they were likely imbued with his characteristic humility and pastoral care, perhaps a quiet urging to reflect on the Gospel’s call to embrace the vulnerable. Vance’s tribute on X after Francis’ death, linking to a 2020 homily on faith amid fear, suggests the encounter left a spiritual impression, even if specific words remain elusive. The brevity of the meeting and Francis’ declining health imply that any final message was less about verbal exchange and more about the symbolic act of meeting despite their differences.
