Vice President J.D. Vance and his family will travel to Italy this week to participate in Holy Week events and then visit India with his wife, Usha Vance, the first Hindu American second lady.
The White House announced the trip on Wednesday, saying Mr. Vance will “discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country.”
He will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Rome. While in India, Mr. Vance will visit New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra as well as hold meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Vance family will also participate in engagements at cultural sites in India.
During the seven-day trip that starts Thursday, Mr. Vance will participate in ceremonies ahead of Easter Sunday. Mr. Vance, who converted to Catholicism six years ago, is the second Catholic to serve as vice president. Former President Joseph R. Biden was the first Catholic to serve as vice president and only the second to be elected president.
It’s unclear whether Mr. Vance will meet with Pope Francis during the trip. The pope was recently hospitalized for 38 days to treat double pneumonia, and he has been highly critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Mrs. Vance’s parents immigrated from India. It will be Mr. Vance’s first trip to India as vice president.
Since taking office in January, Mr. Vance has embarked on three international trips. He visited Paris and Munich, Germany in February, where he spoke at several conferences and criticized European leadership for censoring free speech and not spending enough on defense.
Last month, Mr. Vance traveled to Greenland, which President Trump has talked about annexing. It is a self-governing territory under the Kingdom of Denmark.
