(The Hill) — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday reflected on his meeting with Pope Francis, which came just hours before the pontiff died earlier this week.
“I thought a lot about that. It’s pretty crazy, actually,” Vance told reporters in India when asked about being one of the last officials to meet with the Pope.
“Obviously, when I saw him, I didn’t know that he had less than 24 hours still on this Earth,” Vance added. “I think it was a great blessing. But, you know, he saw a lot of people. I think he affected a lot of lives. And I try to just remember that I was lucky I got to shake his hand.”
Vance briefly met with Francis on Sunday during a trip to Rome and the Vatican. The Pope, who had been recovering from pneumonia, died early Monday morning at the age of 88. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to attend the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.
While in Rome, Vance also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is the Vatican secretary of state. The vice president converted to Catholicism in 2019.
