JD Vance Reacts to Pope Francis’ Passing Shortly After Their Meeting

Townhall covered this morning that Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church since 2013, passed away at age 88. His passing came after months of reports of his ill health.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said, reciting a statement released by the Vatican.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized,” he added.

The pontiff’s passing occurred hours after he met with US Vice President JD Vance on Easter Sunday.

Pope Francis met briefly with U.S. Vice President @JDVance on Easter Sunday. The private audience lasted a few minutes. They exchanged Easter greetings, and the pope gave Vance a Vatican tie, rosaries and a set of three large chocolate Easter eggs for his kids. pic.twitter.com/v48BsukaDQ

— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 20, 2025

In the early hours of Monday morning, Vance learned of the pontiff’s passing and wrote the following:

“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.”

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…

— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 21, 2025