US vice president JD Vance has arrived in Rome for meetings with the Vatican’s second in command and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh off the Italian leader’s visit to the White House a day earlier.
Ms Meloni, who has positioned herself as a bridge between the US and Europe, received praise from President Donald Trump for her crackdown on migration during a meeting at the Oval Office on Thursday.
Mr Vance, who attended the meetings, was scheduled to meet with the Italian leader on Friday in Rome and planned to attend Easter weekend events at the Vatican.
He was scheduled to meet with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the White House said.
No meeting with Pope Francis was announced. The 88-year-old pope has cut back his work schedule as he recovers from a near-fatal case of double pneumonia.
Francis and Mr Vance, a Catholic convert, have tangled over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.
Just days before he was admitted to hospital, Francis blasted the administration’s deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity.
In a letter to US bishops, Francis also apparently responded to Mr Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.
Mr Vance has acknowledged Francis’ criticism, but has said he would continue to defend his views.
