Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. AP
“The meeting, which lasted a few minutes, gave the opportunity to exchange greetings on Easter Sunday,” the Vatican said in a statement, noting the encounter took place shortly before 11.30am local time (9.30am GMT) at the pope’s residence.
It came months after tensions flared between the Pope and the administration of US President Donald Trump over its anti-migration policies.
Pope Francis, 88, is expected to deliver his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Easter blessing from the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square at midday (10am GMT) on Sunday.
The Vatican press office said the Pope was likely to be present for Sunday’s celebrations, though his participation would depend on his health.
Vance, a Catholic convert, held talks on Saturday with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the secretary for relations with states, Paul Gallagher, in a meeting the Vatican described as “cordial” and focused on the sensitive issue of refugees.
The previous day, the vice-president met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss Trump’s trade tariffs.
Meloni shares conservative views with Vance and US President Trump, whom she met in Washington just a day before on a charm offensive aiming for a US-EU tariffs deal.
Trump's threatened tariffs could have a major impact on Italy, the world's fourth-largest exporter, which sends around 10 percent of its exports to the United States.
The trip is also Vance's first return to Europe since delivering a combative speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, when he lambasted the EU's members on culture war issues while calling for the bloc to "step up" in managing its own security.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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