Vatican notes ‘exchange of opinions’ over migrants, prisoners in meeting with Vance

VATICAN CITY AP U S Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican s No official amid tensions over the U S crackdown on expatriates with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting an exchange of opinions over current international conflicts immigrants and prisoners Vance a Catholic convert met with the secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the Apostolic Palace There was no indication he met with Pope Francis who has sharply cut back official duties during his recovery from pneumonia Vance s office declared he and Parolin discussed their shared religious faith Catholicism in the United States the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world and President Trump s commitment to restoring world peace The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration while seeking to continue productive relations in keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality It has expressed alarm over the administration s crackdown on refugees and cuts in international aid while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza Those concerns were reflected in the Vatican report which reported the talks were cordial and that the Vatican expressed satisfaction with the administration s commitment to protecting freedom of religion and conscience There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation especially regarding countries affected by war political tensions and formidable humanitarian situations with particular attention to immigrants refugees and prisoners the report announced At last hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States whose valuable institution to the majority of vulnerable people was acknowledged The reference to serene collaboration appeared to refer to Vance s assertion that the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling illegal immigrants in order to get federal funding Top U S cardinals have pushed back strongly against the claim It is clear that the approach of the current U S administration is very different from what we are used to and especially in the West from what we have relied on for multiple years Parolin advised La Repubblica daily on the eve of Vance s visit As the U S pushes to end the war in Ukraine Parolin reaffirmed Kyiv s right to its territorial integrity and insisted that any peace deal must not be imposed on Ukraine but is built patiently day by day with dialogue and mutual respect Vance was spending Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended Good Friday services in St Peter s Basilica after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni On Saturday after introducing his family to Parolin the Vances got a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and later visited Rome s botanic garden where one of his sons was seen in a plastic gladiator costume that is popular among Italian kids It wasn t this instant clear where they would celebrate Easter Francis for his part indicated he hoped to attend Easter Mass that usually draws thousands to St Peter s Square according to the official Mass booklet and liturgical plans published Saturday Papal rebuke on migration appeal for prisoners Francis and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration s plans to deport foreigners en masse Francis has made caring for transients a hallmark of his papacy and his progressive views on social justice issues have often put him at odds with members of the more conservative U S Catholic Church Francis also changed church teaching to say that capital punishment is inadmissible in all cases After a citizens appeal from Francis just weeks before Trump took office President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of of the people on federal death row Trump is an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment Vance who converted to Catholicism in identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement viewed by particular critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings that is often called postliberal Postliberals share chosen longstanding Catholic conservative views such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over ruling body bureaucracy and institutions like universities from within replacing entrenched elites with their own and acting upon their vision of the common good Just days before he was hospitalized in February Francis blasted the Trump administration s deportation plans warning that they would deprive movers of their inherent dignity In a letter to U S bishops Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies A Latin concept of love Vance had defended the administration s America-first crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as ordo amoris He has commented the concept delineates a hierarchy of care to family first followed by neighbor public fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere In his Feb letter Francis appeared to correct Vance s understanding of the concept Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extends to other persons and groups he wrote The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the Good Samaritan that is by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all without exception Vance has acknowledged Francis criticism but has announced he would continue to defend his views During a Feb appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington Vance didn t address the issue specifically but called himself a baby Catholic and acknowledged there are things about the faith that I don t know While he had criticized Francis on social media in the past Vance in recent weeks has posted prayers for Francis recovery