ALBAWABA - The Vatican's Pope Francis recently made headlines after skipping his official meeting with US Vice President JD Vance in Rome and instead had his secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, give him a lecture on compassion.
The move sparked speculation and debate on social media and has left several people wondering about the pope's decision.
Pope Francis, who recently recovered from a serious case of pneumonia, also skipped the Good Friday service at St Peter’s Basilica, which JD Vance attended. Vatican inside sources told Sky News that JD Vance briefly met with the pope, but no additional details were disclosed.
While he didn't meet the pope, Vance seemed ecstatic about his visit to the Vatican alongside his family. He took to Musk's X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "It was an honor to visit the Vatican during Holy Week, and a blessing to experience the beauty and reverence of the Good Friday liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica."
Why did Pope Francis skip his official meeting with JD Vance?
Several speculated that the pope didn't meet with Vance due to recent tensions between the two parties when Vance accused the church of using a topic such as condemning mass deportation for financial gain.
Pope Francis called the massive migrant deportations happening in the US a "disgrace" while reaffirming the church's stance on loving all, "without exception."
On the contrary, several pointed out that the pope didn't meet with Vance for not condemning the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza that resulted in the killing of at least 51,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 116,000.
Pope Francis recently said, "I continue to receive very serious and painful news from Gaza. Unarmed civilians are subjected to bombings and shootings. It is terrorism."
