(ZENIT News / Vatican State, 04.18.2025).- U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance spent Good Friday in Rome and Vatican City, engaging in high-level political talks and participating in one of Catholicism’s most solemn liturgies. His visit on April 18, confirmed by his office earlier in the week, offered a moment of personal and diplomatic resonance at the heart of Christian tradition.
Vance, a practicing Christian, met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for bilateral discussions that sources close to the delegation described as “constructive and warm.” The two leaders are understood to have touched on issues ranging from transatlantic cooperation.
🇺🇸🇻🇦Vicepresidente de Estados Unidos de rodillas en Vaticano@JDVance estuvo hoy en la basílica de san Pedro para la conmemoración de la Pasión de Jesús. Una parte de la ceremonia litúrgica ha estado de rodillas, junto a su esposa, que no es católica.
En sus redes sociales… pic.twitter.com/Hy7F8SgO70
— P. Jorge Enrique Mújica, LC (@web_pastor) April 18, 2025
Following his meeting with Meloni, Vance was welcomed at the Vatican. Vice President Vance is scheduled to meet with the Vatican’s number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope’s Secretary of State, on Saturday, April 19.
What set this diplomatic trip apart, however, was not only its geopolitical dimension but its profound spiritual undertone. Vance, accompanied by his wife and children, took part in the Good Friday liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vice President and his family were seen seated near the famous bronze baldachin by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
On social network X, Vance wrote: “I’m grateful every day for this job, but particularly today where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday. I had a great meeting with Prime Minister Meloni and her team, and will head to church soon with my family in this beautiful city. I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the US, a blessed Good Friday. He died so that we might live”. And he added: “His message echoed the solemnity of the day that marks Christ’s crucifixion, a service during which no Mass is celebrated. Instead, the faithful reflect in silence, prayer, and scripture readings on the suffering and death of Jesus”.
Oggi, a Palazzo Chigi, ho ricevuto il Vicepresidente degli Stati Uniti d’America J.D. Vance. Italia e Stati Uniti continuano a rafforzare la loro cooperazione su tutti i principali dossier internazionali. Un’amicizia solida, una partnership strategica. pic.twitter.com/Pj1Ir1EmlA
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) April 18, 2025
The Vice President’s presence at the liturgy was not just a personal observance—it was also a public statement, underscoring how religious heritage continues to shape political identity and diplomacy, especially in a time when the role of faith in public life is increasingly contested.
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