JD Vance has paid tribute to Pope Francis following the pontiff's death at the age of 88. The US Vice President briefly met Pope Francis on Easter Sunday before the pontiff made a surprise appearance to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

Mr Vance has posted a tribute to the Pope on X, writing: "I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul."

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