After several days of rumors, it is now confirmed: The Vatican is receiving JD Vance on Saturday, April 19, before attending Easter celebrations with his family. According to the official program, the US vice president, who met the day before with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is set to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See and the Vatican's number two. On Friday night, he attended the Good Friday service at Saint Peter's.

The matter holds significant importance for both parties amidst a rift between the Church and the Trump administration, with Vance at the forefront. By defending the White House's deportation policies, Vance, a convert to Catholicism and adherent of a "post-liberal" movement, dared to challenge the Church and, by extension, the Vatican on its own ground: Theology.

Appearing on Fox News on January 30, the vice president advocated for Donald Trump by citing Saint Augustine and his concept of ordo amoris (order of love): that is, according to Vance, "you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that, you can focus [on] and prioritize the rest of the world." To those contesting his interpretation of the Augustinian concept, including members of the Catholic hierarchy, he told them to "just Google" it. Pope Francis, for whom the defense of migrants is a cardinal principle, felt compelled to intervene via a letter and correct the American.

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