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Pope Francis, largely regarded as the Catholic Church’s most progressive leader of all time,diedearly on Easter Monday.
He was a trailblazer forLGBTQIA+ rights,migrants, and people affected by war,speakingon the phone nightly with Catholics in Gaza since October 2023. He also lived simply and humbly, makingheadlinesin 2013 for carrying his own briefcase onto a plane (gasp!).
On Easter Sunday, the Vatican held a meeting with Vice President JD Vance, but Pope Francis wasreportedlynot in attendance. Instead, the VP met with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and its foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
Vance later had a brief encounter with the pope, exchanging Easter well-wishes. “I know you’ve not been feeling well, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance said in a clip released by AP. Pope Francis could be seen in a wheelchair.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met concisely with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter salutation . understand more here : https://t.co / C6CbGxcAevpic.twitter.com / VyqxvZ10A9
The VP’s time in the Vatican came at a tense crossroads in the Trump administration’s relations with the papacy. Back in February, Pope Francis publiclycriticizedTrump’s immigration policy and mass deportation efforts. Vance’s meeting with Catholic leaders included “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,” according to astatementfrom the Vatican.
The statement continued, “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 Daily Beast called Vance’s meeting with Catholic leaders “a lecture on compassion” and said that the pope’s “last actwas to give JD Vance a lesson about migrants.” Later, Pope Francis gave what would be his last public appearance, an Easter address.
A tweet from before the pope’s death quoting the Daily Beast article has gone viral, racking up over 200,000 likes and nearly 9 million views. “Pope Francis W,” the posterwrote.
Pope Francis Whttps://t.co/A5roi5EUMQpic.twitter.com/gIOb3viVX3
People were all over this epic papal mic drop. “We can’t rule out that God kept Francis alive so he could do this,” this person wrote, referring to the pope’shospitalizationin February and ongoing health issues.
Some cracked jokes.
Then, following the pope’s death, people pointed out how soon after Vance’s visit he died. Along with a clip from Francis and Vance’s encounter, X user @AntiTrumpCanada wrote, “So he survived double pneumonia but couldn’t survive the stench of theocratic authoritarianism. Rest in peace, Pope Francis.”
One person posted a screenshot of a New York Timesarticleabout Vance’s visit and called Francis “a good man and a true Catholic.”
Of course, plenty of people made jokes about Vance’s visit killing Francis. This person said it instead “probably drained the Pope’s will to live.”
Most people just thought this was a pretty epic last act on Francis’s part. “so you’re telling me pope francis took his last energy to give mass, shit on jd vance, and pray for gaza and died the day jesus resurrected,” this person tweeted.
And a lot of folks are taking the opportunity to recognize all of what Pope Francis stood for.
