Vatican pointed out “exchange of opinions” about immigration, prisoners during meeting with Vance
There is no indication that he met with Pope Francis, who drastically cut his official duties during his recovery from pneumonia.
Vance’s office said he and Palorin “discussed their shared religious beliefs, the plight of Catholicism in the United States, persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”
The Holy See responded cautiously to the Trump administration while trying to continue production relations with its diplomatic neutral tradition.
It expressed shock at the government’s crackdown on immigration and cuts in international aid, while insisting on a peaceful resolution on the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
These concerns are reflected in the Vatican statement, which said the negotiations were cordial and the Vatican expressed satisfaction with the government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom and conscience. “Exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially on countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, pay special attention to immigration, refugees and prisoners,” the statement said. “Ultimately, the hope is expressed in peace cooperation between the United States and the Catholic Church, which provide valuable services to the most vulnerable people.” The term for “serene cooperation” appears to refer to Vance’s claim that the American Catholic Bishops’ meeting is relocating “illegal immigration” in order to obtain federal funding. The top American cardinals strongly oppose this claim.
Parolin told Los Angeles Repubblica on the eve of Vance’s visit that it is clear that the current U.S. government’s approach is very different from our past dependence, especially in the West. ”
When the United States pushed for an end to the war in Ukraine, Palorin reaffirmed Kiev’s territorial integrity and insisted that no peace agreement could be “imposed” Ukraine, but rather “established patiently day after day, with dialogue and mutual respect.”
Vance spent Easter weekend with his family in Rome and attended Good Friday service at St. Peter’s Basilica after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Vances took a private tour of the Sistine Church after introducing his family to Parolin on Saturday and later visited the Botanical Gardens in Rome, where one of his sons dressed in a popular plastic gladiator among Italian children.
It is not clear where they celebrate Easter. According to the official mass pamphlet and etiquette plan, Francis said he hopes to attend Easter Mass, which usually attracts thousands of St. Peter’s Square.
Pope condemns immigration, calls on prisoners
Francis and Vance are struggling with immigration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport immigrants in large numbers. Francis’ concern about immigration was a hallmark of his pope, and his progressive view of social justice often led him to conflict with more conservative American Catholic Church members.
Francis also changed the teachings of the church, saying that in all cases the death penalty was unacceptable. President Joe Biden sentenced 37 of 40 people on federal death row prisons after Francis publicly appealed weeks before Trump took office. Trump is an outspoken supporter of the expansion of the death penalty.
Vance, who turned Catholic in 2019, used a small Catholic intellectual movement to identify some critics who believe to have reactionary or authoritarian tendencies, often referred to as “post-liberalism.”
Post-liberals have some long-standing Catholic conservative views, such as anti-abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counter-revolution in which they took over institutions such as government bureaucracy and universities from within, replacing the entrenched “elites” in their own capacity and based on their perception of the “common interest.”
Francis exploded the Trump administration’s deportation program a few days before his hospitalization in February, warning them that they would deprive immigrants of their inherent dignity.
In a letter to the American Bishop, Francis also seemed to respond directly to Vance because he claimed that Catholic teaching justified such a policy.
Latin love concept
Vance defended the first government repression by invoking a concept of medieval Catholic theology as “Ordo Amoris.” The concept portrays a level of care, he said, — first, family, second, neighbors, community, compatriots, and finally other places.
Francis seemed to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept in his February 10 letter.
“Christian love is not an accidental expansion of the concentric interest of other people and groups,” he wrote. “The true Ordo Amoris that must be promoted is what we find through constant meditation on the allegorical parable of the Good Samaritan, that is, through meditation, the love that builds open to all, without exception.”
Vance acknowledged Francis’ criticism but said he would continue to defend his views. In his appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington on February 28, Vance did not specifically address the issue, but called himself a “baby Catholic” and admitted there was “things about faith I didn’t know.”
Although he has criticized Francis on social media in the past, Vance recently prayed for Francis’ recovery.
