The fact he was one of the last people to see Pope Francis before he died Monday has made an impact on Vice President JD Vance.
Vance spoke with The Washington Post about meeting with Pope Francis briefly Easter morning. The pope subsequently died Monday. He was 88.
“It’s pretty crazy, actually,” Vance said. “And obviously, when I saw him, I didn’t know that he had less than 24 hours still on this Earth.”
“I think it was a great blessing,” Vance continued.
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Vance, 40, who converted to Catholicism, acknowledged Pope Francis “saw a lot of people” and “affected a lot of lives.”
“And I try to just, you know, remember that I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day,” Vance said, “because I did, and I do.”
The vice president said he “didn’t realize how sick he was” when they met at Casa Santa Marta, a building next to Saint Peter’s Basilica where the pope resided.
The vice president and pope disagreed over a variety of topics, such as immigration, sometimes the pope spoke about in his Easter message.
His Easter sermon, read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, condemned hatred towards migrants.
Vance was asked about how the pope’s death would affect the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
“A lot of people, especially in the American press, want to make the Holy Father, his entire legacy and even his death about American politics,” Vance said. Vance said the pope represented much more than American politics.
“He represents over a billion Catholics worldwide,” Vance said. “Yes, I’m aware that he had some disagreements with some of the policies of our administration. He also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration.”
Vance said he would not “soil the man’s legacy by talking about politics.”
The vice president pointed out that the pope was “a great pastor.”
“The thing that I will always remember Pope Francis for is that he was a great pastor,” Vance said. “People on the margins, poor people, people suffering from diseases — they saw in Pope Francis an advocate, and I think a true expression of Christian love.”
