Pope Francis praised for skipping official JD Vance meeting in one of his final acts

Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Monday, has been commended on social media for skipping an official meeting with US vice president JD Vance in one of his final acts, sending his deputy to meet the VP instead.

While the pontiff had returned to some duties at this point, after a five-week stay in hospital with severe double pneumonia, Vance ended up meeting with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday.

The Vatican said in a statement: “During the cordial talks, satisfaction was expressed for the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America, and the common commitment to protect the right to freedom of religion and conscience was reiterated.

“There was 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. Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

“Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”

The pair did end up meeting on Sunday, but it was a "brief private encounter".

The late Pope was vocal about US president Donald Trump’s stance on immigration, condemning the Republican’s mass deportation plans in January and claiming “it will be a disgrace”.

He also appeared to criticise Vance’s invocation of the Latin phrase “ordo amoris” - ‘order of love’ – in a letter to US bishops in February, writing that the “true” meaning of the phrase concerns “the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’” and “love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception”.

Given his criticisms of the Trump administration, people have since praised the Pope for seemingly shunning JD Vance days before his passing:

Another noted he also commented on the war in Gaza and gave mass in his final hours:

“Talk about working through your to-do list. Respect,” wrote a third:

JD Vance has since paid tribute to the Pope following his passing, writing on Twitter/X that he was “happy to see him” on Sunday, but he “was obviously very ill”.

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