JD Vance was granted an audience with Pope Francis but it lasted just a few minutes, amid sharp tensions between the Holy See and the Trump administration over migrants and welfare budget cuts.

The US vice-president, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, has been in Rome with his family since Friday and was said to be particularly keen to have a meeting with the Pope.

The Holy See had not committed to granting him an audience, but in the end it took place on Sunday morning and was announced only when it was over.

The “brief” meeting happened shortly after 11.30am local time in Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where the 88-year-old pontiff has lived since being elected in 2013.

The encounter, which “lasted a few minutes”, offered a chance for them to exchange Easter greetings, the Vatican said.