https://eu.cincinnati.com/story/news/2025/04/20/jd-vance-has-sit-down-with-pope-francis-on-easter-sunday/83184373007/



During a visit to the Vatican on Easter Sunday, JD Vance met with Pope Francis, according to the vice president's office. "The Vice President 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's office said in a news release.

The meeting came a day after Vance sat down with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin − the Catholic Church's most senior official after the pope.

The two discussed "Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President (Donald) Trump's commitment to restoring world peace," the vice president's office said in an earlier news release. The two also discussed their shared religious faith. Vance, who has a home in East Walnut Hills, converted to Catholicism six years ago at a church in Greater Cincinnati.

British outlet Sky News reported on Saturday that sources told them Vance and the pope had a "quick and private meeting" at the pope's residence in Vatican City. Vance and his family arrived in Vatican City on Friday to attend a Good Friday service at St. Peter's Basilica. He also met with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

snip

due to subsequent events and yet up they stay, the OP-posting DUers neither update or remove them.

The most frustrating part is that in many, many examples, especially for the fake news OPs, many other DUers come into the thread and completely ignore the de-bunking and engage with the OP and the down-thread replies as if the whole thing is 100 per cent legit and/or still true.

It all (at least partially) puts paid to whole 'How is it that MAGAts (and Rethugs in general) almost always (or at least far too often) fall for fake news' ridicule that I have seen come from certain DUers, who then turn around and do the exact same thing with 'fake news' THEY LIKE posted here. I have debunked hundreds of things over the past almost 7 years here, and trust me, it is a thankless task overall, and at times results in overt hostility from people who do not like the 'fake news' being called out.

Thank you. I do appreciate your posts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/pope-francis-meets-with-jd-vance.html

That would seem appropriate, amirite?

would do for anyone else who comes to easter mass.

He sends sharp letters to everybody right about this time. Just Dumb expected a meeting on his own schedule. He had to meet Francis on Francis's schedule.

Pope Francis issued a letter to the bishops of the United States Feb. 11 decrying mass deportations and urging Americans not to “give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate,

I am writing today to address a few words to you in these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People of God who walk together in the United States of America.

1. The journey from slavery to freedom that the People of Israel traveled, as narrated in the Book of Exodus, invites us to look at the reality of our time, so clearly marked by the phenomenon of migration, as a decisive moment in history to reaffirm not only our faith in a God who is always close, incarnate, migrant and refugee, but also the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person.

2. These words with which I begin are not an artificial construct. Even a cursory examination of the Church’s social doctrine emphatically shows that Jesus Christ is the true Emmanuel (cf. Mt 1:23); he did not live apart from the difficult experience of being expelled from his own land because of an imminent risk to his life, and from the experience of having to take refuge in a society and a culture foreign to his own. The Son of God, in becoming man, also chose to live the drama of immigration. I like to recall, among other things, the words with which Pope Pius XII began his Apostolic Constitution on the Care of Migrants, which is considered the “Magna Carta” of the Church’s thinking on migration:

“The family of Nazareth in exile, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, emigrants in Egypt and refugees there to escape the wrath of an ungodly king, are the model, the example and the consolation of emigrants and pilgrims of every age and country, of all refugees of every condition who, beset by persecution or necessity, are forced to leave their homeland, beloved family and dear friends for foreign lands.”

3. Likewise, Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception. In fact, when we speak of “infinite and transcendent dignity,” we wish to emphasize that the most decisive value possessed by the human person surpasses and sustains every other juridical consideration that can be made to regulate life in society. Thus, all the Christian faithful and people of good will are called upon to consider the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person and his or her fundamental rights, not vice versa.

4. I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.

5. This is not a minor issue: an authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized. The true common good is promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the rights of all — as I have affirmed on numerous occasions — welcomes, protects, promotes and integrates the most fragile, unprotected and vulnerable. This does not impede the development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration. However, this development cannot come about through the privilege of some and the sacrifice of others. What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.

6. Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups. In other words: the human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings! The human person is a subject with dignity who, through the constitutive relationship with all, especially with the poorest, can gradually mature in his identity and vocation. The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (cf. Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.

7. But worrying about personal, community or national identity, apart from these considerations, easily introduces an ideological criterion that distorts social life and imposes the will of the strongest as the criterion of truth.

8. I recognize your valuable efforts, dear brother bishops of the United States, as you work closely with migrants and refugees, proclaiming Jesus Christ and promoting fundamental human rights. God will richly reward all that you do for the protection and defense of those who are considered less valuable, less important or less human!

9. I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.

10. Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe to protect individuals and families who live in fear or pain due to migration and/or deportation. May the “Virgen morena”, who knew how to reconcile peoples when they were at enmity, grant us all to meet again as brothers and sisters, within her embrace, and thus take a step forward in the construction of a society that is more fraternal, inclusive and respectful of the dignity of all.

https://www.denvercatholic.org/full-text-pope-francis-issues-letter-to-u-s-bishops-on-migration

... and here's the lawsuit filed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops against State Dept. Rubio and HHS Kennedy

https://www.ncronline.org/files/2025-02/Complaint%20for%20Declaratory%20and%20Injunctive%20Relief%20%28Feb.%2018%2C%202025%29.pdf

.. and Pope Francis's rebuke of the Trump administration.
https://apnews.com/article/pope-trump-migration-09a89091f8e7dc3270099f0947d04e90

Pope was prob protecting his couches...

I'd probably still be cleaning off my monitor!

All hail Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian!

Glad you were spared monitor clean up, but we have to take our laughs where we can get them, right?

of Francis and Vance in the same room, talking to one another.

n/t

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220254707

* or near the Pope-Mobile reserved parking, until the Pontiff showed up. JD Vance is just weird-enough and creepy-enough to pull a stunt like that.

Ack!

If you don't believe they did I understand, based on the OP.

He doesn't take unscheduled meetings with Vice Presidents. He will meet with them, but the meetings need to be arranged well in advance.

Expecting him to drop everything around Easter to say "Howdy" to the likes of J. D. Vance, is about as rude as it gets, in diplomatic terms.

while allowing that the tenor and tone for the Vatican's reception (and prior statements) are completely accurate and well represented.

And "Holy Ghost" is a genuine rib ticklerkicker ! And deserves as many likes and kicks as possible.

I'm afraid he would be replaced with someone horrible, and I honestly don't know why, just a bad feeling.

The Pope is Pope to all Catholics, even many of those South Americans being so severely mistreated.

There are always groups in the Church who hope to advance a certain candidate who will further their agenda as pope. The Authoritarian Axis of Evil which has worked to install authoritarian Strong Leaders in a number of countries no doubt has plans to influence the election of the next pope.

*** I should have put this notice at the beginning of my comment for those who can't handle the truth: CONSPIRACY THEORY WARNING.

Last edited Mon Apr 21, 2025, 12:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Pope Francis is known to be unpopular with conservative leaders in the church who oppose his more progressive tendencies. I have absolutely no trouble believing that they will try very hard to replace him with someone more conservative. And I really hope they don't succeed, because the Pope is a very influential figure in the world, and not just on Catholics.

Thank you.

...you had a glimpse into the political maneuverings of the various factions of the Catholic Church...conservatives vs. liberals, etc. It's a very real thing!

It was a MOST engrossing film. No car chases, no gunfights, no fist fights, no stunts, no sex scenes, and didn't need 'em. All VERY low-key and cerebral, until the end. And then you spend at least several more days just thinking about it.

I would be feeling like a big fat loser by now…..

Last edited Sun Apr 20, 2025, 04:24 PM - Edit history (1)

JD VANCE IS ROUTINELY WASTING TAXPAYER MONEY

btw, it doesn't MATTER if they met or not, the trip is STILL a waste of money

It was a short meeting but given the serious health issues the Pope is recovering from I doubt he's been having lengthy meetings with any diplomatic visitors.

Why do we continue posting crap like this? They met, however brief it was, and there are photos.

https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/f7bca81/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/599x399!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F94%2F82%2F93b407382cad2233335c960da413%2F1539c6046f2540bcaf1aae59cad6abdb

I provided a link to a photo that establishes they did indeed meet. The OP actually recommended the following article, which clearly states they met, so I'm curious as to why they posted this in the first place.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220254707

Also, there is a link in post #4 to an article in the NYT.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/pope-francis-meets-with-jd-vance.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220254728#post43

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/jd-vances-meeting-with-pope-francis-before-his-death-sparks-conspiracy-theories-fumed-netizens-ask-what-did-you-do-101745227857692.html

Or both. Both works.

Thank you Mrs. Betty Bowers!

Yeah, they did wind up meeting, briefly, today (Easter Sunday).

Link to tweet

"Yesterday, the Pope skipped the official meeting and his 2nd in charge gave the wayward convert a lecture on what it means to have compassion."

"...the Pope skipped the official meeting..."

Do people need to be scolded repeatedly?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/pope-francis-meets-with-jd-vance.html

FACT

Mr. Vance, who was baptized as a Catholic six years ago, has been spending Holy Week in Rome with his family. He attended the Good Friday service in St. Peter’s Basilica. On Saturday, Mr. Vance met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister.

Mr. Vance had not been expected to meet the pope, who only recently left the hospital after spending five weeks there in serious condition.

The pope has made unannounced appearances since his hospital stay, but his health tightly restricts his planned engagements.

one receives the wrong impression. It’s been noted before that this is a serious problem here.

The Vance team probably pushed the Vatican for the visit after the initial rejection.

The Pope's caretakers should have stated no photos, because the Pope does not look or feel well today. But that's why I'm not a Cardinal who forgives, just a pissed off prick who hates republicans looking to score god points with the maga base.

Good he got snubbed and lectured. He did meet with him briefly earlier though.

https://apnews.com/article/pope-vance-us-migration-c9fc577cabff138de7bd8026133994fc

one leaves with the wrong information. At the very least, the post should be updated. This issue has frequently been discussed.

Yesterday, the Pope skipped the official meeting and his 2nd in charge gave the wayward convert a lecture on what it means to have compassion.

———
That is a FACT

The scolding is really over the top.

Ignore the Heathon

...prosperity gospel. The cons have to stick together.

C'mon tough guy, Truth Social's a-callin'! Let's see you piss off one of the world's largest congregation to get back at Francis... I mean, who does that Woke-ass Pontiff think he IS dissing America's favorite heartbeat-away and conduit to an unconstitutional FOURTH term (because you say you were the REAL prez in 2020). C'mon, give us your best shot! Oh, sorry you were gonna tweet about Rosie O'Donnell? My bad....

Instead of "the body of Christ" he probably hears 'the body of Trump"

Well he went out on a good note — fair play to him.

Not often can I use those two words together.

Talk about a coincidence....

i saw this yesterday, then i got up this morning and learned that vance met with the pope, who promptly died.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Today: the Pope met with Vance and it killed him.

----------

These silly narratives frequently fall apart of course, but the speed and self-debunking of this one was 10/10.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Normally this type of meme dies after a day or so but so far the internet is still having fun







Who wants this shirt?

I like this hat