US Vice-President JD Vance arrived at the Vatican on Saturday morning. Vance is scheduled to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second-ranking official in the Catholic Church. It is unclear whether a meeting with the Pope is possible.
The Vice-President, along with the other members of the American delegation, arrived at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City at 10:00. He is set to discuss matters with Cardinal Parolin and Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See.
Vance hopes to meet Pope Francis, who is currently recovering from a severe lung infection. The Pope has not received foreign visitors since leaving the hospital about a month ago. A potential meeting with Vance has yet to be confirmed.
The Vice-President was raised in an evangelical family but converted to Catholicism at the age of 35. Vance is aligned with the conservative wing of the American Church, which often criticises the Argentine Pope for his moderate stances on migrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
Pope Francis has also expressed criticism of the current US administration. In February, the Pope angered the White House by condemning the mass deportation of migrants in a letter to American bishops.
