Vance pays tribute to late Pope, one day after meeting him

US Vice-President JD Vance has paid tribute to the late Pope Francis - having been one of the final people to meet him, on the day before the pontiff's death.

"My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," Vance wrote on social media: "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."

Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, met Vatican officials over the weekend - including the Pope himself on Easter Sunday - before heading to India.

President Donald Trump gave his own reaction to Monday's news, posting to say: "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!" He has been joined by former US presidents.

Vance followed his statement with a link to his favourite homily by the late Pope - a March 2020 address on fear and faith that was given during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The meeting with Pope Francis was not originally on Vance's schedule for the trip to Italy. But sources had said Vance was hoping he could secure even a brief moment with the Pope - a personal goal for him as a Catholic, as well as a political one.

Vance's visit was also aimed at thawing relations, insiders said. The pontiff was a long-time critic of US President Donald Trump. In 2016, he questioned then-presidential candidate Trump's faith, saying "a person who thinks only about building walls... and not of building bridges, is not Christian".

Recently, he referred to Trump's immigration views as "an ugly thing", and his plans to ramp up deportations as a "disgrace". Caring for migrants was a signature issue for the Pope.

In February, the Pope appeared to criticise Vance, too - without naming him, but by implicitly questioning the vice-president's interpretation of the ordo amoris (order of love), a Christian concept.

• Follow live: Pope Francis dies aged 88

• Vance hoped meeting Pope would carry powerful symbolism

• The 'hillbilly' Maga loyalist Vance, who became vice-president

• Trump plan to deport migrants a 'disgrace', says Pope

On Saturday, Vance also met the Vatican's secretary of state and secretary for relations with states and international organisation.

In a statement, the Vatican described "cordial talks" on Saturday that affirmed "good existing bilateral relations" and a "common commitment" to protect freedom of religion.

On Sunday, Vance's office confirmed a visit to the Pope that lasted about 15 minutes. Vance "expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family".

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, then in his mid-30s. He wrote that he found the family and social values of the Catholic Church appealing and of a part with his view of conservative politics.

Still, amid his disagreements with Pope Francis on immigration, he acknowledged that his faith was newer and may differ from Pope Francis's, even as he revered the Pope. The US Catholic Church has at times clashed with Pope Francis, taking a more conservative approach to social issues.

At the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February, Vance referred to himself as a "baby Catholic" and said there were "things about the faith that I don't know".

The death of Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, was announced on Monday. He was 88.

"This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father," Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement, which was published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.

Also on Sunday, Francis appeared at the Vatican's St Peter's Square to wish thousands of worshippers a happy Easter.

He had been discharged from hospital last month, after five weeks of treatment for an infection that led to double pneumonia.

Former US presidents added their own tributes.

Joe Biden said the Pope was "unlike any who came before him" and would be remembered as among the most "consequential leaders of our time".

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama said he was a "rare leader who made us want to be better people" and "shook us out of our complacency".