Pope Francis meets US V-P Vance on Easter morning

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis held a private meeting at the Vatican on the morning of April 20 with US Vice-President J.D. Vance, the Vatican said in a statement.

Mr Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration's immigration policies, met Pope Francis at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, the statement said.

"Pope Francis had a brief private encounter... lasting a few minutes, in order to exchange good wishes on Easter day," said the statement.

After Easter Mass, the Pope appeared in St Peter’s Square to greet crowds in an open-air pope-mobile.

Mr Vance’s office issued a brief statement confirming the meeting, but offered no further details.

Mr Vance, who has been visiting Italy with his family this weekend, met senior Vatican officials for more formal talks on April 19.

The Pope, who is recovering from double pneumonia, did not take part in those discussions.

The Pope and Vatican officials have criticised several of the policies of President Donald Trump's administration, including his

plans to deport millions of migrants from the US

and his widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programmes.

Francis has called the immigration crackdown a “disgrace”.

Mr Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the policy.

The Pope rebutted the theological concept Mr Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the US Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Mr Trump’s plan a “major crisis” for the United States. REUTERS