There is much to consider in the interactions of John Boehner and JD Vance with Pope Francis.
Pope Francis was the head of the Catholic Church, a global institution that has endured for millennia. In the wake of his death, consider two men from the same city who interacted with him over the past decade.
On September 24, 2015, House Speaker John Boehner finally realized a decades-long dream when he arranged for Pope Francis to become the first pope to address a joint session of Congress. Boehner grew up Catholic in Cincinnati, Ohio (as did I). The second of twelve children, he was an altar boy and graduated from one of the area’s all-male Catholic schools. He cried during portions of the pope’s address. He also broke down after the address, when he met with Pope Francis more privately, and the pope asked Boehner to pray for him.
The next morning, while reflecting on the previous day’s events, Boehner walked by a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. He then decided to resign his speakership, informing his Republican colleagues of his decision later that day.
Almost a decade later, Vice President JD Vance had a short meeting with Pope Francis yesterday, on Easter Sunday. Vance, who moved to Cincinnati a few years ago, did not grow up Catholic in nearby Middletown, Ohio. He was not strongly attached to any particular Christian denomination. At one point in his faith journey, he was an atheist. He converted to Catholicism in 2019. When Pope Francis and Vance met, they exchanged Easter greetings: The pope gave Vance chocolate easter eggs for his children, as well as other gifts, and Vance said he was glad to see the pope in better health, and told him he prayed for the pontiff every day.
Today, Vance gave his condolences for Pope Francis, identifying as particularly memorable a homily the pope gave early on in the Covid outbreak.
There is much to consider in the interactions of these two high-profile Cincinnatians with Pope Francis. What unites them is the constancy of the Church Pope Francis led. Bigger than any place or man (save One), it transcends mere geography and mere decades. And it will endure the decision to come and the political undulations of any given place and time.