Easter appearance, meeting with Vance: Pope's final moments and a peace message
Later that day, the Pope briefly met US Vice President JD Vance at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, though he refused to meet Vance officially due to the Donald Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on immigration, according to some reports.. The Pope gifted Vance three chocolate Easter eggs for his children. Vance, who was visiting Italy with his family, had met senior Vatican officials for formal talks the previous day, which Francis did not attend due to his health.
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The brief encounter between Francis and Vance came despite past tensions over US immigration policies. While the two exchanged pleasantries privately, the Vatican remains firm in its previous criticisms of policies advanced during the Trump administration, many of which Vance had supported. After the Pope's demise, Vance paid tribute to the Pope and remembered his last meeting with him, saying, " I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.He further praised the Pope's efforts during the time of the COVID pandemic. "But I'll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul."
In his surprise appearance on Easter Sunday, the 88-year-old pontiff delighted thousands of devotees in St. Peter's Square in the open-topped pope-mobile, stopping occasionally to bless babies and greet the faithful. While he delegated the Easter Mass to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to impart the apostolic blessing in Latin. His voice sounded stronger than it had since his release from the hospital in March.advertisementThe Vatican estimated that over 35,000 people attended the celebration, which was marked by the vibrant colours of flowers donated by the Netherlands.Francis has had limited public appearances since his return to the Vatican, focusing on recovery and respiratory therapy.with inputs from Reuters and APMust Watch
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