Vatican seeks U.S. help to recover SCV funds

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert, visited the Vatican over Easter weekend amid heightened tensions with Pope Francis and U.S. bishops over the Trump administration's immigration policies and foreign aid cuts. Vance attended the Good Friday liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica with his family, while Pope Francis, recovering from double pneumonia, limited his public appearances and did not attend. The visit included scheduled meetings with senior Vatican officials, notably Cardinal Pietro Parolin, with discussions expected to touch on issues like migration, Ukraine, and Gaza. The Vatican, critical of the administration's 'America First' policies and their impact on migrants, recently rebuked Vance's theological justifications for harsh immigration measures. The trip also coincides with the Vatican preparing to seek U.S. assistance in an international financial scandal involving the now-suppressed Sodalitium Christianae Vitae organization. Vatican officials hope to use this visit as an opportunity to engage diplomatically despite ongoing disputes and internal divisions within the American Catholic Church.