The Vatican and White House have for decades kept a close relationship, with various popes and presidents meeting in the nation’s capital and in Vatican City across the years. 

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, following years of health issues, including chronic lung disease. Francis was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2013 until his death, and had met with three U.S. presidents across his tenure. 

Francis’ last high-profile meeting with a U.S. leader was held just hours before his death, when Vice President JD Vance traveled to Italy for the Easter holiday and met with the pope on the most holy day for Christians. 

«I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good see you in better health,» Vance told the pontiff Sunday. 

FAITH LEADERS REFLECT ON POPE FRANCIS’ DEATH, PAPACY AND LASTING LEGACY: ‘MADE HIS MARK’

A person holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican’s announcement of his death, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Gustavo Garello/AP)

«I pray for you every day,» Vance said. «God bless you.»

Following Francis’ death, Fox News Digital took a look back on high-profile meetings and friendships the Vatican and White House have forged across the years. 

Reagan and Pope John Paul II look to thwart communism 

Amid the Cold War in 1982 – just years before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 – President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II met at the Vatican.

PHOTO GALLERY: POPE FRANCIS THROUGH THE YEARS

Pope John Paul II greets President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, on their visit to the Vatican. (Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

The meeting marked the first time a president and pope met alone behind closed doors, a 1982 article detailing the visit reported, and came roughly a year after both had survived assassination attempts just weeks apart in 1981. The meeting marked the beginning of the pair’s close friendship as they worked to defeat the growing threat of communism on the world stage. 

Two years later, the pair met again in Fairbanks, Alaska, where they delivered messages of peace in a world on the edge as tensions between the communist Eastern Bloc and the capitalist Western Bloc flared. 

«In a violent world, Your Holiness, you have been a minister of peace and love. Your words, your prayers, your example have made you – for those who suffer oppression or the violence of war – a source of solace, inspiration, and hope,» Reagan said. «For this historic ministry the American people are grateful to you, and we wish you every encouragement in your journeys for peace and understanding in the world.»

The two world leaders’ friendship was rooted in their disgust of communism, socialism and atheism that had gripped the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The pope and the Reagan administration worked closely to promote the Solidarity labor movement in Poland, John Paul II’s home country, which encouraged citizens to reject communism in the satellite state of the USSR, the Associated Press previously reported. 

President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II meet, along with U.S. and Vatican officials, at Fairbanks International Airport on May 2, 1984, in Alaska. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

The Vatican has denied a formal alliance with the U.S. during the promotion of the Solidarity labor movement, but has said in more recent years that Pope John Paul II and Reagan shared a common goal of fighting totalitarianism, the Associated Press reported in 2004. 

REAGAN, JOHN PAUL II UNITED IN PURPOSE

In 1989, Poland became the first country in the Eastern bloc to hold semi-free elections, which resulted in a resounding win for the Solidarity movement and led to the dissolution of the communist government in Poland. The win had a domino effect on other nations as 1989 became known as the year communism fell, including the destruction of the Berlin Wall later that year and the eventual end to the Soviet Union in 1991. 

President Ronald Reagan sits with Pope John Paul II in Vizcaya Mansion. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)

«Pope John Paul II and President Reagan worked together to bring an end to atheistic Soviet communism,» former Republican Gov. Scott Walker wrote in a 2020 Washington Times op-ed of Reagan and Pope John Paul II. «The two had a divine plan to stop the Soviet empire that was engaged in a war on religion and individual liberties. The work of a pope and a president helped bring about the collapse of communism and yielded more freedom and opportunity for people all over the world.»

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president, and Pope Benedict XV met in 1919. (Getty Images)

Wilson becomes first president to meet with pope

Democrat Woodrow Wilson in 1919 became the first U.S. president to meet with a pontiff, opening the doors to normalizing an open line of communication between Washington and Vatican City. 

Wilson was traveling in Europe following the end of World War I and «called upon his Holiness Pope Benedict XV,» according to an article published in America, a Catholic magazine, that year. 

VANCE WAS ONE OF POPE FRANCIS’ LAST VISITORS

«The President’s arrival was announced by the Master of the Chamber to the Pope, who awaited Mr. Wilson in the Throne Room,» the magazine reported at the time. «The President was admitted immediately to the presence of the Holy Father, who welcomed him most cordially. They spent about a half hour together. It is not, of course, officially known what were the subjects which they discussed.» 

The meeting, which came at a time of ongoing anti-Catholic sentiment stemming from the influx of Catholic immigrants at the turn of the century, set the standard for presidents forging relationships with the Vatican – though such meetings did not become normalized until decades later. 

Dwight D. Eisenhower at an audience with Pope John XXIII, together with an official and his daughter-in-law Barbara Eisenhower Thompson, Vatican City, December 1959. (Mondadori via Getty Images)

Eisenhower meets with Pope John XXIII

Presidents meeting with the pope did not become common until 1959, when President Dwight Eisenhower visited Pope John XXIII while on a tour of various countries, including Italy, Office of the Historian documents show. 

The second meeting between a pope and president set a new tradition. 

Every president since Eisenhower has met with the current pope, totaling 32 meetings both in the U.S. and in Vatican City since 1959, Fox Digital found. 

Pope John Paul II is welcomed to the White House by President Jimmy Carter. (Michael Norcia/Sygma via Getty Images)

First papal visit to the White House 

It wasn’t until 1979, during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, that the pontiff traveled to Washington and joined the president for a meeting at the White House. 

Pope John Paul II was invited to the White House amid his first papal pilgrimage to the United States in 1979, when he was well-received by U.S. Catholics and nicknamed «John Paul, Superstar» by Time magazine due to the lage crowds he drew amid his visits to Boston, New York and Denver. 

POPE FRANCIS’ VIEWS ON BUSINESS, THE ECONOMY THROUGH THE YEARS

«Sharing the belief that respect for human rights and the dignity of the individual must be the cornerstone of the domestic and international policies of nations, the Pope and the President underlined their support for international covenants on human rights and for international organizations and entities which serve the cause of human rights,» the Carter administration said in a statement at the time of the visit. «They agreed that the international community must mobilize its concern and resources to deal with the problems of refugees, to protect human rights, and to prevent hunger and famine.»

A pope visiting the White House has been rarer than a president visiting the Vatican. Pope Benedict visited the White House in 2008 when he celebrated his 81st birthday with President George W. Bush, and Francis traveled to the White House in 2015 and met with President Barack Obama. Other popes have not met a president at the White House. 

Pope Francis meets President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Apostolic Palace on May 24, 2017, in Vatican City. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

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President Donald Trump, who had clashed with Pope Francis on environmental and political policies, is slated to travel to Vatican City later this week to attend the pope’s funeral Mass. 

«Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!» the president posted Monday to Truth Social. 

A casi 24 horas de la confirmación de su muerte a los 88 años, el Vaticano difundió este martes las primeras imágenes del papa Francisco en el féretro de madera ubicado en la capilla de la que fue su residencia, la Casa Santa Marta.

El Sumo Pontífice, quien en noviembre pasado simplificó el ritual de los funerales pontificios eliminando y pidió una tumba sencilla que contenga una única inscripción, Franciscus, descansa sobre un ataúd forrado de terciopelo rojo con una casulla purpura y una mitra blanca. En las manos lleva un rosario.

Las imágenes pertenecen al momento de la constatación de la muerte este lunes a las 20.00 horas (18.00 GMT) y se observa a muchos de los cardenales presentes en Roma, que acudieron a la capilla, además de estar rodeado de sus colaboradores.

En su testamento, que se conoció horas después de su deceso, el papa Francisco expresó su voluntad de ser enterrado en una capilla en la basílica romana de Santa María la Mayor y en una tumba sencilla.

«Solicito que mi sepulcro sea preparado en el nicho de la nave lateral entre la Capilla Paulina (Capilla de la Salus Populi Romani) y la Capilla Sforza de la citada Basílica Papal como se indica en el documento adjunto. El sepulcro debe estar en la tierra; sencillo, sin decoración particular y con la única inscripción: Franciscus», se lee en ese documento, que tiene fecha del 29 de junio de 2022.

Además, escribió: «Sintiendo que se acerca el fin de mi vida terrena y con viva esperanza en la Vida Eterna, deseo expresar mi voluntad sólo respecto al lugar de mi sepultura. Siempre he confiado mi vida y mi ministerio sacerdotal y episcopal a la Madre de Nuestro Señor, María Santísima. Por eso, pido que mis restos mortales descansen en espera del día de la resurrección en la Basílica Papal de Santa María la Mayor».

El funeral del papa Francisco se celebrará el sábado 26 de abril a las 10.00 horas (8.00 GMT) en la plaza de San Pedro, mientras que este miércoles el féretro será trasladado a la basílica vaticana para recibir el homenaje de los fieles.

La ceremonia, a la que está previsto que lleguen Jefes de Estado de todo el mundo, estará oficiada por el decano del colegio cardenalicio, Giovanni Battista Re y al termino el féretro será trasladado a la basílica de Santa María la Mayor para ser enterrado, según dejó escrito el pontífice argentino en su testamento.

Este miércoles, tras un momento de oración, presidido por el carmarlengo, el cardenal Kevin Joseph Farrell, comenzará «la traslación» del cuerpo. La procesión pasará por la plaza Santa Marta y la plaza de los Protomartires Romanos y desde el Arco de las Campanas saldrá a la plaza de San Pedro y entrará en la Basílica Vaticana por la puerta central.

Después en el Altar de la Confesión, bajo el baldaquino, el cardenal camarlengo presidirá la Liturgia de la Palabra, al final de la cual comenzará la visita de los fieles.

Aún no se ha determinado por cuanto tiempo será expuesto el cuerpo de Francisco, que hizo algunos cambios en las reglas de los funerales a los pontífices, como se lee en la nueva edición del ‘Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis’.

El cuerpo se ha depositado en un único ataúd de madera con el interior de zinc y se expondrá directamente en el féretro abierto, pero no en un catafalco como había sido hasta ahora y tampoco se colocará el báculo papal durante esta exposición.

Por último, se elimina la tradición de enterrar a los papas en tres ataúdes: «uno de ciprés, un segundo de plomo y un tercero de roble y otro de madera”.

Tras el funeral, el féretro será trasladado inmediatamente a la basílica de Santa María la Mayor como dejó escrito Francisco para la tumulación.

En su testamento indicó: «Solicito que mi sepulcro sea preparado en el nicho de la nave lateral entre la Capilla Paulina (Capilla de la Salus Populi Romani) y la Capilla Sforza de la citada Basílica Papal».

El sepulcro, escribió el papa argentino: «debe estar en la tierra; sencillo, sin decoración particular y con la única inscripción: Franciscus», se lee en le testamento publicado tras su muerte a los 88 años.

Over the course of his 12 years as pontiff, Pope Francis’ papacy has been both highly regarded as influential and scrutinized as modernized and anti-traditional.

Leaving behind a legacy of expansion, Pope Francis ministered to shape the Catholic Church’s future and scale its reach beyond areas of focus in both the U.S. and Europe.

«If you think about how he has approached appointing cardinals,» Tim Gabrielli, associate professor and Gudorf chair in Catholic intellectual traditions at the University of Dayton in Ohio, told Fox News Digital. «He’s been very intentional about that.»

POPE FRANCIS REVEALED BURIAL WISHES JUST DAYS AFTER BECOMING POPE IN 2013

Pope Francis created cardinals from 24 nations that had never had one before.

«He was calling attention to places that are overlooked,» Gabrielli said. «He was saying, ‘The church is here, too, and the church here has a voice. The church here should be paid attention to.»

«I think it’s been very significant,» he added.

Gabrielli asserts that Pope Francis was playing «a long time» with the Catholic Church by expanding its own broader geographical reach.

«The church is growing most rapidly in Africa, and we don’t think about that as much in the Northern Hemisphere,» he said. «Resources for the future of the church are in those places.»

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Pope Francis traveled to areas of the world where popes didn’t often visit. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

In 2017, Pope Francis convened a Synodal Assembly, a gathering of bishops, to discuss the Amazon region and climate change, which was a focus during his sovereignty.

«It strikes me as Pope Francis saying, ‘Hey, this region that is largely seen as a suppository of resources, whatever we can exploit from this great lush region, well, there’s a church operating there. There are people living there who we don’t pay much attention to,’» Gabrielli said.

«That is in tune with his emphasis on economic exploitation,» he added.

Gabrielli believes Pope Francis’ first words after his election spoke to his broader mission as pontiff.

WHAT IS THE PAPAL CONCLAVE: INSIDE THE ANCIENT PROCESS OF CHOOSING THE NEXT POPE

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

«Brothers and sisters, good evening,» Pope Francis said in his address to Rome on March 13, 2013. «You know that the charge of the conclave was to give a bishop of Rome. It would seem that my brothers went to the end of the world to choose him.»

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the first pope in history from the Global South, hailing from Argentina.

Gabrielli said his remarks, coupled with the meticulous expansion of cardinals, reflect Pope Francis’ vision of the church in every place.

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«The church in the U.S. has had a strange way of thinking of itself as something kind of exceptional,» Gabrielli said.

Highlighting a new focus on regions often considered «flyover countries,» Gabrielli said Catholics and non-Catholics will see Pope Francis’ impact through his successor.

«This push to internationalize the cardinal or to visit places the pope wouldn’t normally visit is planting seeds there that over time will lead to a deeper sense of the international church,» Gabrielli said.