Politics, faith and tourism. JD Vance's Roman Easter

'As I walked with my family around Rome I saw that it was built by people who love human beings and God'. The landscape that offered itself to JD Vance, as soon as he landed at Ciampino, from the tinted window of the car that took him to the centre of the capital already hinted at the meaning of his visit, between the politics of human beings and religious celebrations. The second family descended from the steps of Air Force Two early in the morning on Friday 18 April, in holiday attire despite the not entirely spring-like weather: shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt for the children, Ewan and Vivek, aged 7 and 4, a little flowery dress for little Mirabel, 3, in the arms of dad - only he in a formal blue suit - and mum Usha in a long skirt and total white jacket. An Italian visit that ended on Easter Sunday after Vance had met Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin the previous day. He did not see Pope Francis instead: the meeting had never been officially announced by either the White House or the Holy See. But until the very last the rumour of a possible greeting with the Pontiff had been leaked (which then failed to materialise shortly before Easter Mass, ndr).

On Friday, immediately after some meetings at Villa Taverna, the US ambassador's residence in Rome, the long procession of cars and dark vans of the US vice-president had arrived at Palazzo Chigi for the meeting with Giorgia Meloni, less than 24 hours after the one at the White House. "I've missed you," the premier said jokingly, receiving him with all the appropriate honours, national anthems and the Navy's guard of honour. "I am proud that you have decided to spend Easter here in Rome. We hope you can enjoy this period,' Meloni added before the institutional face-to-face and lunch extended to vice-premiers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani. Having archived his political commitments, Vance had joined his family to travel together to St Peter's for the Good Friday rites.

The vice president is a fervent Catholic, who converted in 2019 at the age of 35, while Usha, the daughter of immigrants from Andhra Pradesh, continues to practise her parents' Hindu faith. However, since her husband has embraced Catholicism, she accompanies him to Mass every Sunday. The day then continued on Friday, between a visit to Castel Sant'Angelo and a dinner in Rome by night, albeit amidst tight security measures.

On Saturday, Easter Eve, Vance was received by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. A meeting that took place a few hours before Putin's announcement of the Easter truce, in a very cordial atmosphere and during which they probably tried to lay the foundations to find common ground on the delicate issue of migrant management. The vice-president arrived for a confrontation at the Vatican after the Pope's letter of 11 February to all the bishops of the United States. A sort of "call to arms" against the migration policies decided by Trump. "Do not give in to narratives that discriminate and create suffering," the Pope asked his bishops, which was narrowly criticised by the White House men. And it was precisely migrants that were on the table in the discussion with Parolin, along with the complex international situation dotted with conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East, on which the United States can play a decisive role. The Vatican, apart from the brief communiqué, also distributed photos to the international press at the end of the meeting, and in all of them a relaxed, cordial atmosphere with big smiles leaked out. A sign perhaps of the desire for dialogue.

The rest of Saturday was spent touring the streets of the capital. Having shed the formal clothes of the Vatican meeting, where even the little ones were dressed in jackets, the Vance family chose more casual attire to visit the Botanical Garden in Trastevere. A breath of fresh air perhaps for the three children who had been seen yesterday bored and impatient in the long celebration of the Passion in the Vatican basilica. Then in the afternoon, the visit to the monument that is the symbol of Rome: the Colosseum, which however was only attended by the second lady Usha while the US Vice-President remained at Villa Taverna, home of the US Ambassador to Italy. In front of the Colosseum there were some protests by some tourists who, despite having bought tickets, were left outside.