Jerusalem: In a deeply symbolic moment during his diplomatic visit to Israel, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, attended a private Mass celebrated by Franciscan monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Thursday. The service took place during the couple’s three-day trip to the region, focused on advancing peace efforts between Israel and Hamas under the current ceasefire agreement.
According to the White House Pool Report, Vice President Vance, who is only the second Catholic vice president in U.S. history, met privately with a group of bishops before attending the Mass and participated in the sacrament of confession. The liturgy was held in one of Christianity’s most sacred spaces a site revered as the location of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
Following the Mass, Vance knelt in silent prayer before the Stone of Anointing, believed by tradition to be the very slab upon which the body of Jesus was prepared for burial. He also spent several minutes in reflection before the Calvary Altar, where Christians believe Christ was crucified. Both the vice president and his wife lit candles inside the ancient basilica, which has stood as a spiritual beacon since its construction in the fourth century during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.
In a poignant moment, Vance lit two candles using the flame from Christ’s tomb, intending to bring them back to the United States. “We are sending these lights to the White House,” said an Armenian Orthodox bishop present at the ceremony. “May God bless America, the United States, and Armenia and our friendship.”
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre jointly administered by the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and four Oriental Orthodox communities remains a powerful symbol of Christian unity despite centuries of theological and cultural division.
Shortly after the visit, Vice President Vance posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressing gratitude and awe at the experience. “What an amazing blessing to have visited the site of Christ’s death and resurrection,” he wrote. “I am immensely grateful to the Greek, Armenian, and Catholic priests who care for this most sacred of places. May the Prince of Peace have mercy on us and bless our efforts for peace.”
Vance’s message echoed the spiritual tone of his entire visit, which has been marked by calls for prayer, unity, and reconciliation amid renewed efforts to sustain the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. “Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ and one of them is the Prince of Peace,” he told reporters earlier in the week. “I’d ask people of all faiths and especially my fellow Christians to pray that the Prince of Peace continues to work a miracle in this region.”
The vice president’s religious observance comes at a delicate time for U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. The White House is working closely with both Israeli and Palestinian officials to maintain the truce that ended two years of intense conflict in Gaza. Vance’s stop at one of Christianity’s holiest sites and his public invocation of faith adds a personal and spiritual dimension to a trip otherwise dominated by security discussions.
“I think with your prayers and with God’s providence, and with a very good team behind me, we’re going to get it done,” Vance said when asked about ongoing peace negotiations. His remarks reflect a blend of political realism and religious conviction that has become characteristic of his public persona.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, often described as the heart of Christian Jerusalem, has long been a destination for pilgrims seeking connection to the central mysteries of their faith. Vance’s quiet moments of prayer there, alongside his wife, were both a personal act of devotion and a symbolic gesture a reminder that the pursuit of peace, like faith itself, often begins in humility and prayer.
As he departed the church, the flickering light of the candles he carried soon to be placed in the White House served as a small but potent symbol of hope that faith and diplomacy might yet illuminate one of the world’s most troubled regions.