JD Vance Delivers Message On Easter: ‘I’m Grateful Every Day For This Job’

As Easter weekend approached, Vice President JD Vance shared a heartfelt message while on an official visit to Italy.

“I’m grateful every day for this job, but particularly today where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday. I had a great meeting with Prime Minister Meloni and her team, and will head to church soon with my family in this beautiful city,” Vance posted.

“I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the US, a blessed Good Friday. He died so that we might live,” he continued.

According to a release from the White House, Vance and his family are spending the latter part of Holy Week and Easter in Italy, where they are scheduled to meet with a senior Vatican official.

A convert to Catholicism, the Vice President will sit down with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the Rome portion of the trip. It's not yet known whether Vance will have an audience with Pope Francis, who remains under medical care following an extended illness.

The official itinerary also includes a stop in India. During this leg of the journey, Vance is slated to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visit several cities, including New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra, where he will take part in cultural “engagements,” though the details have not been disclosed.

The White House confirmed the timeline, stating:
“Vice President JD Vance and the Second Family will travel to Italy and India from April 18 to April 24. The Vice President will discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country. In Rome, Italy, the Vice President will meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Vice President will also meet with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In India, the Vice President will visit New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. The Vice President will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vice President and Second Family will also participate in engagements at cultural sites.”

Vance’s most recent international trip before this took place in mid-February, when he attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany. There, he voiced criticism toward several European nations over what he described as shortcomings in upholding free speech and religious liberty.

Following President Trump’s reelection last November, Cardinal Parolin extended his well-wishes, emphasizing the need for leadership grounded in wisdom.
“I believe that, above all, he has to work to be the president of the whole country and so overcome the polarization that has occurred, which can be very, very clearly felt at the moment,” Parolin said at the time.

The Cardinal also expressed optimism that Trump could promote global peace:
“To end wars, a lot of humility is needed, a lot of willingness is needed. It really is necessary to seek the general interests of humanity rather than concentrate on particular interests.”

Despite some differences in policy, particularly surrounding immigration, the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have voiced disapproval of the Trump administration’s initiatives to scale back aid to migrants. Those policies affected funding for numerous Catholic and humanitarian groups operating in the U.S. and abroad.