Tensions With Pope Loom Over JD Vance’s Easter Visit to the Vatican

US Vice President JD Vance is spending the Easter weekend in the heart of Catholicism, navigating a tense moment between the Trump administration and the Catholic Church. His visit comes as relations between the White House and the Vatican remain strained, particularly over immigration policy.

Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the U.S. government, arrived in Rome on Friday. On his schedule: a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — just a day after her warm meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House — and attending Good Friday service at St. Peter’s Basilica. He’s also expected to tour key religious and cultural sites with his family and meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.

Visit Highlights Church-White House Divide

The Vice President’s presence in Rome during one of the Church’s holiest weekends comes just weeks after a public clash between Vance and an ailing Pope Francis. The dispute stems largely from the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on immigration — a position the Vatican has repeatedly criticized.

In February, Pope Francis sent a strongly worded letter to American bishops, condemning President Trump’s mass deportation plans and challenging Vance’s use of a medieval theological concept. The pope’s letter drew sharp lines between the Vatican’s values and the administration’s policies.

A Divide Within Catholicism?

Vance’s visit also shines a spotlight on growing divisions within the global Catholic community — especially between conservative American Catholics and the Vatican. A majority of conservative Catholics supported Trump in the 2024 election, despite the Church’s open opposition to many of his policies.

“Vance, writ small, contains the tension between increasingly vocal conservative Catholics and what this pope represents,” said Tom Roberts, former executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter.

The symbolism of Vance’s Easter visit to the Vatican has not gone unnoticed. As the White House emphasizes Christian values in its messaging and policy direction, the trip underscores the increasingly complex relationship between the Trump administration and Catholic leadership.

While Vance’s personal faith and high-profile status offer a bridge of sorts, the stark policy differences — particularly on immigration — are proving hard to reconcile.

The meeting with Cardinal Parolin may offer a chance to ease tensions, but the rift between the Vatican and the White House runs deep — and the road to common ground may be longer than the Easter weekend allows.