NEW DELHI, April 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US Vice President JD Vance said his "heart goes out" to Christians after Pope Francis died Monday.

"My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," he posted on X.

"I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."

Vance, a Catholic convert, arrived in New Delhi on Monday after meeting the pontiff in the Vatican.

The pair had a brief private meeting on Sunday, the Vatican said, on the last day of the Republican's visit to Rome.

The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia in a Rome hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.

His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter's Basilica.