VATICAN CITY (AP) ā U.S. met Saturday with the Vatican's No. 2 official amid tensions over the U.S. crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting āan exchange of opinionsā over current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners.
Vance, , 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 said he and Parolin ādiscussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trumpās commitment to restoring world peace.ā
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 migrants and while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in and
Those concerns were reflected in the Vatican statement, which said 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 difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners," the statement said. āFinally, 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.ā
The reference to āserene collaborationā appeared to refer to Vance's assertion that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was in order to get federal funding. Top U.S. cardinals have pushed back strongly against the claim.
āIt 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 many years," Parolin told La Repubblica daily on the eve of Vance's visit.
As the U.S. , Parolin reaffirmed Kyiv's right to its territorial integrity and insisted that any peace deal must not be āimposedā on Ukraine but āis built patiently, day by day, with dialogue and mutual respect.ā
Vance was spending Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended Good Friday services in St. Peterās Basilica after meeting with 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 immediately 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 released Saturday.
Papal rebuke on migration, appeal for prisoners
Francis and Vance have and the Trump administrationās plans to deport migrants en masse. Francis has made caring for migrants 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 public appeal from Francis just weeks before Trump took office, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row. Trump is an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement, viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings, that is
Postliberals share some longstanding Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions like universities from within, replacing entrenched āelitesā with their own and acting upon their vision of the ācommon good.ā
Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis blasted the Trump administrationās deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having such policies.
A Latin concept of love
Vance had defended the administrationās America-first crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as āordo amoris.ā He has said the concept delineates a hierarchy of care ā to family first, followed by neighbor, community, fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere.
In his Feb. 10 letter, Francis appeared to correct Vanceās understanding of the concept.
āChristian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extends to other persons and groups,ā he wrote. āThe true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the āGood Samaritan,ā that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.ā
Vance has but has said he would continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didnāt address the issue specifically but called himself a ābaby Catholicā and acknowledged there are āthings about the faith that I donāt know.ā
While he had criticized Francis on social media in the past, Vance recently has posted prayers for Francisā recovery.
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This version corrects the first name of Gallagher.
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Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
