U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with top Vatican officials on Saturday in a rare high-level encounter as tensions simmer between the Catholic Church and the Trump administration over immigration and social policy.
Vance, a Catholic convert and key figure in President Donald Trump’s second-term administration, held talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, and his deputy. According to a Vatican statement, the meeting featured “cordial talks” on global conflicts, humanitarian issues, and the plight of migrants, refugees, and prisoners.
The vice president, visiting Italy over Easter weekend, said the discussion also covered the state of Catholicism in the U.S., the persecution of Christians globally, and “President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.” Pope Francis, recovering from illness, did not attend.
The meeting comes at a critical time for U.S.-Vatican relations. Pope Francis and other Catholic leaders have strongly criticized Trump’s immigration crackdown and deep cuts to both domestic welfare and foreign aid programs. In a 2025 open letter to U.S. bishops, the pope condemned the theological justification used by Vance to defend harsh immigration policies, warning that actions built on force, not human dignity, “begin badly and will end badly.”
Church-affiliated aid groups have called Trump-era funding cuts “catastrophic,” particularly for vulnerable populations worldwide. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently announced it would end its five-decade collaboration with the federal government on refugee support, citing the funding reductions.
Though tensions remain, the Vatican expressed hope for “serene collaboration” between the Church and the U.S. government moving forward. Church officials and observers see the renewed dialogue as a significant step amid strained relations.