Politics
Short-Lived ‘Easter Hoax’ Implodes After Vance Meets With Pope Francis
Vice President J.D. Vance briefly met with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday at the Casa Santa Marta, the Holy See Press Office confirmed in a press release. The meeting took place despite a left-wing hoax claiming the pontiff had refused to meet with Vance and instead sent a representative to lecture him on “morality,” a false claim that racked up millions of views between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
“I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the Pope in a video shared by Vatican Media. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Pope Francis, 88, is still recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia that left him hospitalized for several weeks. “The meeting, which lasted a few minutes, gave them the opportunity to exchange Easter greetings,” the press release said.
The pontiff offered Vance, a practicing Catholic, chocolate easter eggs for each of the vice president’s young children. He was also presented with a Vatican tie and rosary beads.
Vance told the holy father that he had been praying for him every day and hopes he continues to recover smoothly, to which Francis responded by offering an Easter blessing.
“Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health,” Vance posted on X following the meeting.
Vance and Francis have bumped heads in the past over the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and plans to deport millions of illegal aliens.
“A cordial conversation took place,” the Vatican said of Sunday’s Easter meeting. “During which the common commitment to protect the right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience was renewed.”
“There was also an exchange of views on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention focused on migrants, refugees and those in prison,” the statement continued.
Following his meeting with with Francis, Vance joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vance family also visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul.
The meeting comes after several left-wing social media influencers and political commentators amplified a hoax claiming the pope spurned Vance and refused to meet with him. “Pope Francis refused to attend the official meeting with genocidal Zionist JD Vance,” said one X user in a post that garnered 1.2 million views before the meeting.
“Pope Francis skipped the Vatican’s official meeting with Vice President JD Vance Saturday, instead having his No. 2 give the vice president a lecture on compassion, according to a Vatican statement,” wrote the far-left Meisas Touch media outlet in a separate post that garnered 3.2 million views.
The hoax was also amplified by a number of media outlets, including the Daily Beast, which served as a primary point of reference for those spreading the lie that was debunked in a matter of hours.
