US Vice President JD Venus Italian premiere Georgia Meloni met in Rome on Friday and finally attended the Good Friday services in the Vatican among the speculation of a potential pope greetings.
“I'm missing you,” Meloni jokingly told Venus when he entered the Premier Office Chigi Palace courtyard.
He saw each other at the Oval Office last day, where Trump praised the Italian leader for crackdown on migration but did not produce tariff plans, which has increased tensions with the European Union and has stopped recession concerns.
On Friday, the White House and Meloni's office issued a joint statement stating that Trump would visit Italy “in the near future.”
“At that point, a meeting between us and Europe is also being considered,” the statement said.
Venus, a Catholic Convert, later attended Good Friday services with his wife and three children at St. Peters Basilica and was scheduled to meet Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Petro Perulin on Saturday.
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No meeting with Pope Francis was officially announced and Pontuff did not attend a firm, two -hour good -bye service, chaired by the Vatican Cardinal. The 88 -year -old Pope has rapidly eliminated his work schedule as he is recovering from a deadly case near double pneumonia, and his participation in Easter services is uncertain.
However, Francis has recently met with King Charles III and officials have not rejected the potential audience with Venus, who has in the past criticized Francis on social media, though recently offered prayers for his recovery.
Francis and Venus have rapidly entangled migration and Trump administration refugees to deport them. Francis has taken care of immigrants, and his progressive views on issues of social justice have often confronted members of the conservative American Catholic Church.
A few days before he was admitted to the hospital in February, Francis blew up the Trump administration's deportation plans, and warned that he would deprive immigrants from their hereditary dignity. In a letter to the American Bishops, Francis also responded directly to Venus on claiming that the Catholic ideology justified such policies.
Venus is known as “Ardo Meritance” in Latin, a concept of medieval Catholicology. He has said that this concept describes a classification of care.
In his letter on February 10, Francis corrected Venice's understanding of this concept.
He wrote, “Christian love is not an expansion of interests that extend a bit to other people and groups.” “The true Ardo Affairs that should be promoted is the one we discover with the constant attention of the 'good Samaritan', that is, by considering the love that is open to all, without exception.”
Venus has acknowledged Francis' criticism but has said he will continue to defend his views.
Venus posted on X, “I am grateful every day for this, but especially today where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday.”
Good Friday is reminiscent of Christ's crucifixion and is a Latin -filled service in St. Peters through the Vatican and at night, the torching procession in the Colozium.
Meloni has positioned himself as a bridge between the Trump administration and Europe, and was the lonely leader of the European Union to attend his inauguration. As a right -wing party chief, he is ideologically linked to issues such as preventing Trump and promoting traditional values. But Italy and the United States depend on the strong support of Meloni for Ukraine, while Trump's prices threat pressed Meloni to defend the European Union's trade interests by the block.
The panic of the bond market has partially pulled its rates back to Trump by stopping his 20 % import tax on the European Union for 90 days and receiving a baseline 10 % instead. But Trump said Thursday that he was not in a rush to reach any trade deal.
Venus confirmed the US ally friendship on Friday and told Meloni that he would brief them about some “interesting” developments in the Russian-Ukrainian talks. “Big trade talks,” he said.
Like Trump, Venus also looked astonished by Meloni's Italian language, though he could not understand what he was saying.
He said at the beginning of his conversation, “Of course, he could call me a shock and I didn't know, but it would be in a very beautiful language that would be imaginary, so I would not be angry.”
And copy 2025 Press of Canada