JD Vance is taking divine inspiration from meeting Pope Francis just hours before the pontiff died following a prolonged illness and hospitalization.
The vice president sat down with Fox News Digital for an exclusive interview on his takeaways from the "very gracious meeting" with the pope.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, was visiting the Vatican for Easter but said he "didn’t plan to see the Holy Father because he was ill."
Vance said he was "one of, if not the very last world leader to actually meet with the pope."
He continued, "I took one of my relatively junior staffers, who is a devout Catholic, and I looked back at him when he was about to meet the pope, and he was crying—it sort of drives home how important this, not just this man, but this institution is to over a billion people worldwide."
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Vance gave his impressions of the pope as "very kind" and "very frail" from his illness.
"We didn’t spend a lot of time together. It was mostly exchanging pleasantries, but he gave a few gifts—he gave my kids Easter baskets, and there was just this very sweet moment," Vance said.
The pope also gave the vice president a Vatican tie and rosaries.
"I definitely cherish it," Vance said.
Vance said he learned of the Pope's death shortly after touching down in India.
"I obviously felt very sad, and my thought went immediately to the pope, but also to all these Catholics who love him," Vance told Fox News Digital.
"But then it kind of hit me—oh my God—I was one of the last people to talk to him. I just take it as a great honor and a sign from God to remember that you never know when your last day on this Earth is," Vance said.
