U.S. Vice President JD Vance is holding a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's No. 2 official, after a significant criticism from the Pope of the Trump administration's actions against migrants. Vance, a recent Catholic convert, had previously defended those actions with a theological explanation.

Vance’s meeting with Cardinal Parolin is scheduled for Saturday, and there is also some speculation that he may briefly meet Pope Francis, who has recently started resuming official duties following his recovery from pneumonia. Vance was in Rome with his family for the Easter weekend and attended Good Friday services at St. Peter's Basilica on Friday, after having a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Vance and Pope Francis have had sharp disagreements over migration, especially regarding the Trump administration's plans to deport migrants. Pope Francis has made supporting migrants a key focus of his papacy, and his progressive views on social justice often put him at odds with the more conservative members of the US Catholic Church.

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, aligns with a small Catholic intellectual group known as postliberalism. This group, which some critics view as having reactionary or authoritarian tendencies, holds conservative Catholic views, such as opposing abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Postliberals want to lead a counterrevolution by infiltrating government institutions and universities, replacing the current elites with their own, and acting on their vision of the common good. Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Pope Francis criticised the Trump administration's plans for deportation, warning that they would strip migrants of their inherent dignity.

In a letter to US bishops, Francis seemed to respond directly to Vance, who had argued that Catholic doctrine supported such policies. Vance defended the administration's America-first policy by referring to a concept from medieval Catholic theology called ordo amoris, which in Latin means "order of love."

He explained that this concept suggests a hierarchy of care, starting with family, followed by neighbours, community, fellow citizens, and finally, people from other countries. However, in a letter dated February 10, Francis seemed to offer a correction to Vance’s interpretation. He explained that Christian love is not a simple expansion of care that gradually extends to more people or groups. Instead, the true ordo amoris is the love described in the parable of the Good Samaritan. This kind of love fosters a sense of fraternity that is open to everyone, without exceptions. Vance has responded to Francis' criticism, saying that he will continue to stand by his views. During an appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on February 28 in Washington, he didn't directly address the issue but referred to himself as a "baby Catholic" and admitted that there are aspects of the faith he doesn't fully understand.

Although he had criticised Francis on social media in the past, Vance has recently posted prayers wishing for Francis' recovery. On Friday, Vance, along with his wife and three young children, attended the Vatican's Good Friday service in St. Peter's, sitting in the front row. The two-hour service included readings in Latin and Italian. Pope Francis did not attend. The pope has started meeting visitors, including King Charles III. This week, he also left the Vatican to visit prisoners at Rome's central jail, fulfilling his Holy Thursday commitment to minister to the most marginalised.

Although he has appointed other cardinals to lead Easter services this weekend, officials haven't ruled out the possibility of a short greeting with Vance. "I'm grateful every day for this job, but particularly today where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday," Vance posted on X. "I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the US, a blessed Good Friday."