MILES PARKS, HOST:
Pope Francis had a brief meeting today with Vice President JD Vance, where the two exchanged Easter greetings. Vance even got chocolate easter eggs for each of his kids. The two do not see eye to eye on immigration, however. Just two months ago, the pope admonished the Trump administration and Vance for their goals of mass deportation. And today, the pope's Easter speech condemned the marginalization of migrants across the world. Megan Williams reports from the Vatican.
MEGAN WILLIAMS, BYLINE: From the balcony overlooking a St. Peter's Square festooned with spring flowers and palm fronds, Pope Francis lifted his hand in a weak wave to the crowds below and wished them a happy Easter.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPE FRANCIS I: (Non-English language spoken).
WILLIAMS: The pope, though, after leaving hospital last month after five weeks, was too frail to lead the mass or deliver his urbi et orbi, the traditional address to Rome and to the world. Instead, it was read by Monsignor Diego Ravelli, who organizes papal masses...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DIEGO RAVELLI: (Non-English language spoken).
WILLIAMS: ...Calling for a Gaza ceasefire, food for the starving, the release of Israeli hostages and peace in Ukraine, Sudan, the Congo and other nations. The pope's speech decried what he referred to as contempt stirred up against the vulnerable, marginalized and migrants. For Parisian tourist Cinel Mendy, the pope's message hit home.
CINEL MENDY: It means a lot because nowadays, with what's happening in U.S., what's happening in Europe also, this is a message for our country leaders, and they should listen to him. My parents came from Senegal long time ago. Yeah, this is my story, too.
WILLIAMS: Holly Driggers, visiting from Austin, Texas, says she's not Catholic but was thrilled to receive the pope's blessing from the balcony.
HOLLY DRIGGERS: I appreciate his stance on social justice, his stance on immigration. I do appreciate that he has taken a stand for the overlooked person in our world.
WILLIAMS: That stance has caused friction between the Vatican and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Thank you. Happy Easter to you, Father.
UNIDENTIFIED INTERPRETER: (Non-English language spoken).
VANCE: Wonderful. I know you've not been feeling great, but it's good to see you in better health.
WILLIAMS: ...Who inside the Vatican guest house exchanged Easter greetings and gifts with the pope before Francis greeted the crowds. The brief photo op, lasting just minutes, came a day after Vance held formal talks with senior Vatican officials where, among other issues, immigration was discussed. Vance and the pope have publicly clashed over the subject, with Francis calling President Donald Trump's crackdown a disgrace and the pope indirectly rebuking Vance for using Christian theology to justify the current hard-line immigration policies.
Today's encounter with Vance underscored the pope's willingness to engage, including with ideological opponents, despite his poor health. National Catholic Reporter's Christopher White.
CHRISTOPHER WHITE: I suspect this hospitalization has crystallized for this pope that he has very little time left, that he wants to use the time that he's been given to be a pastor. And so that's why we see him showing up, making people inside the Vatican quite nervous at a time when his doctors have really urged rest.
WILLIAMS: The Pope has defied doctors' orders to limit public interaction. Over the past few weeks, he's met with King Charles and Queen Camilla. He's met prisoners and health care workers, even kissed babies in St. Peter's Square. Vatican expert Francis X. Rocca says all that contact is exposing him to more risk.
FRANCIS X ROCCA: His decision to flout his doctors' orders so frequently makes people think, oh, my gosh, he's one infection away from going back into the hospital. He's gotten sick before, and he could easily get sick again.
WILLIAMS: And while the Vatican insists all is well, behind the scenes many are quietly preparing for what could come next, says White.
WHITE: The sort of public line is that the pope is back and he's governing the church, but I think everyone is aware that we're far closer to a conclave than we've ever been at any point in the Francis papacy.
(CHEERING)
WILLIAMS: As he circled St. Peter's Square, nodding to the crowds, the pope showed no sign of pulling back from public life. For NPR News, I'm Megan Williams at the Vatican. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
