The day before his heartbreaking death, Pope Francis welcome JD Vance into his Vatican City home. But in the hours leading up to the historic meeting, the vice president, one of the last visitors to sit with the pontiff, had allegedly broken a cardinal rule, leaving people outraged.
On April 21, the world bid farewell to Pope Francis, one of the most beloved spiritual leaders of our time, marking the end of an era defined by compassion, reform, and bold moral declarations.
But true to his legacy of unflinching candor, his final days were not without controversy.
According to People, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who was in Vatican City with his family for the weekend, was reportedly snubbed by the pope on Saturday, leaving him to meet Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace,” reports the office of the VP.
But according to the Vatican News, the Holy See’s media outlet, the two had “an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners.”
Brief meeting with Pope Francis
Before greeting thousands of worshippers at his final Easter Sunday service at St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff, who earlier blasted the Trump administration’s deportation plans, had a brief meeting with Vance that “lasted a few minutes and offered an opportunity to exchange Easter greetings,” the Vatican News explains.
Newsweek reports that Vance was given three large chocolate Easter eggs – one for each of his children – a Vatican tie, and rosaries.
He reportedly told the pope, “I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health. Thank you for seeing me. I pray for you every day. God bless you.”
Afterwards, the VP shared a tweet alongside several photos of him sitting with the pope on April 20: “Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health. Happy Easter!”
Vance visits Sistine Chapel
It wasn’t his visit with the pope that captured the attention of the world, that was watching the Vatican with bated breath.
The day before Vance met with the pope, the VP and his family spent April 19 touring Vatican City and its religious landmarks, including the historic Sistine Chapel.
And then a photo of the VP holding his son under the Sistine Chapel’s canopy of priceless artwork by Michelangelo hit the internet, leaving people outraged.
“An epic shot of Vice President JD Vance and his son inside the Sistine Chapel. What an incredible way to spend Easter weekend,” writes conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in a tweet that shared the photo of what seemed to be an innocent family moment.
‘Utterly despicable’
The backlash was swift with the online community pointing out the massive error made by Vance and Emily Higgins, the White House photographer credited with the shot.
“You do NOT take pictures in the Sistine Chapel. No respect,” fires off one online user.
A second rages, “To take photos in the Sistine Chapel is strictly forbidden! Every true Catholic knows this. This picture shows what’s wrong: Rules are only to be followed by others but not the American government – utterly despicable!”
Another netizen writes, “Not allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel. Even in something so basic, they think the rules don’t apply to them.”
A handful of users defended the VP. “Wrong,” starts one cyber fan, who included an image of Michelle Obama in the Sistine Chapel. “Not only did the Vatican explicitly grant permission for the VP’s team to photograph their visit, the Vatican itself released video of their tour. They did the same for other official state visits including Michelle Obama’s visit in 2009.”
The Vatican Museum explains that “it is permitted to take photographs, for personal and domestic use only, of the works in all areas of the Vatican Museums, apart from the Sistine Chapel. Flash photography is strictly forbidden.”
The warning continues, “In the Sistine Chapel it is forbidden to take photographs or films with any type of electronic equipment.”
At the time, it is unclear if Vance and Higgins received authorization to capture images inside the historic chapel. There is also no video available of the VP’s tour.
‘Happy to see him’
Pope Francis died on April 21 about 7:35 a.m.
Offering his condolences on X, Vance, who at the time was in India visiting the prime minister, wrote: “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.”
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