Vice President J.D. Vance is scheduled to visit the Vatican as Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Easter.
In a statement released Wednesday, Vance’s office announced that the vice president, along with second lady Usha Vance and their children, were traveling to Italy and India from April 18-24. The stated purpose of the trip is to “discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country.” During the trip, the vice president and his family are expected to “participate in engagements at cultural sites.”
Items on the itinerary include meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trip to India will include visits to New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.
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Bloomberg had previously reported that Vance planned to visit Italy earlier this month, identifying April 18-20 as the dates the vice president would be in the country. Those dates correspond with two of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. April 18 is Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, while April 20 is Easter Sunday, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Bloomberg, the exact dates of the trip were subject to change.
Vance’s office offered few details about the journey, which marks the third international trip Vance has taken since assuming office as the 50th Vice President of the United States in January. Last month, Vance visited Greenland. In February, he delivered remarks denouncing anti-Christian discrimination at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, gave a speech at an Artificial Intelligence Summit in Paris, and visited the historic Notre Dame Cathedral.
The inclusion of India as part of the trip makes it the first time Vance has visited a non-European outpost since taking office less than 100 days ago. President Donald Trump has yet to take any international trips since beginning his second non-consecutive term and taking office as the 47th President of the United States.
Trump visited the Vatican and met with Pope Francis four months into his first term in what was the first international trip and only trip to the Vatican during his presidency. While a meeting between Vance, a practicing Catholic, and the pontiff was not on the agenda, an interaction between the two is possible now that Francis’ weeks-long stay in the hospital has come to an end.
Pope Francis has not hesitated to criticize the Trump-Vance administration, specifically its immigration policies. In the earliest days of the second Trump presidency, Francis penned a letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressing concern about the “major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations.”
Since taking office, Vance has not shied away from his Catholic faith. During a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border last month that coincided with Ash Wednesday, Vance received ashes on his forehead from a Catholic priest, as is a customary tradition among Catholics and some Protestants.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
