Not long before what would turn out to be his final public appearance, a blessing of the crowds who had gathered for Easter Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square and an unexpected popemobile tour of the piazza, Pope Francis received a devout if perhaps unlikely visitor.
Among the last people to see and speak to the pontiff in the hours before his death early on Monday morning was the US vice-president, JD Vance, a zealous, albeit comparatively recent, convert to Roman Catholicism.
The pair met on Sunday morning at the Domus Santa Marta guest house, the down-to-earth lodgings where Francis lived during his 12-year papacy. According to statements from the Vatican and Vance’s office, the two men spoke for a few minutes to exchange Easter greetings, and the 88-year-old pope gave the vice-president rosaries, a Vatican tie and three big chocolate Easter eggs, one for each of his children.
Francis could have excommunicated him, but didn’t.
Poked ‘em with the ol stoke handshake
stole the rest of his lifeforce by a touch.
What a tragedy that this was his last visitor. I bet he was couch surfing during the trip too.
a bad way to go indeed
