Vice President JD Vance took aim at late Pope Francis and the Vatican in his new book, describing the meeting with the Roman Catholic Church's leader who died roughly 24 hours after the conversation, according to The Washington Post.
Vance described the meeting as "'unsettling' as the officials uttered what he describes as 'trite platitudes' and 'clichés,' adding that he preferred the direct rebukes offered by Pope Francis," The Post reported.
In the new book, "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith," which is slated to be released on Tuesday, Vance talked about his short conversation with Francis and Vatican diplomats on Easter morning. He wrote about being "unusually nervous" on the drive to the Vatican — and what would later be known as the last day of Francis's life.
"The vice president’s criticism of Vatican officials in his new book contrasts with his favorable accounts of both Francis and Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope. His account follows efforts by U.S. and Vatican officials to downplay tensions between the two sides as they’ve disagreed over the last year and a half on matters of immigration and war," according to The Post.
Vance argued that Vatican officials were "too diplomatic" in the talks and "unwilling to talk in specifics about the subjects on which the U.S. and the Holy See disagreed," The Post reported.
"He acknowledges that the diplomats probably avoided specifics 'out of a desire to be, well, diplomatic,' but writes that their comments were 'too abstract to be helpful,'" according to The Post.
The vice president converted to Catholicism in 2019 and in his new book, shares his faith experiences.
"Vance adds he was 'struck that one of the few institutions with the moral authority and global perspective to address the migration question seemed so afraid of saying something controversial that it chose, effectively, to say nothing at all,'" The Post reported.
In the book, he reflected on the encounter and on other decisions he made during his 2021 Senate campaign.
"One of the dumbest things I ever said came when I argued that ‘childless cat ladies’ across the Democrat Party were running our country into the ground," Vance wrote in his new book. "It was a boneheaded comment, intentionally (and successfully) provocative rather than illuminating."