US Vice President JD Vance has described his final meeting with Pope Francis, held just hours before the pontiff's death, as a "great blessing". Reflecting on the surreal timing of their encounter, Vance, who has become the butt of several jokes on the internet, said it was "pretty crazy".

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'Pretty crazy,' I met Pope the day before he died: JD Vance

Speaking to reporters during his visit to India, Vance said, "It's pretty crazy, actually. And obviously, when I saw him, I didn't know that he had less than 24 hours still on this earth. I think it was a great blessing."

Also read | Vatican bans photos near Pope Francis's body as mourners inappropriately click pictures with deceased pope's coffin

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"I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day, because ... I did, and I do," he added.

Despite political differences between the late pontiff and President Donald Trump — particularly on immigration — Vance chose to remember Francis as a spiritual leader rather than a political figure. "I'm not going to soil ... the man's legacy by talking about politics. I think he was a great Christian pastor, and that's how I choose to remember the Holy Father," he said.

When asked whether he hoped the next pope would carry forward Francis's progressive legacy or return to a more traditional path, the conservative Vice President declined to weigh in, saying, "I'll just say a prayer for wisdom, because I obviously want them to pick the right person. I want them to pick somebody who will be good for the world's Catholics," he said.

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Also read | 'What a rotten age': Mourners take smiling selfies with Pope Francis' body in casket, triggers outrage

'Justkilled DaPope Vance'

Vance met the Pope briefly on Sunday morning at a Vatican hotel. The next day, Pope Francis, who had been recovering from pneumonia, passed away early Monday at the age of 88.

Soon after, memes claiming that the full form of JD Vance's name is "Justkilled DaPope Vance" flooded social media. 

Watch | St Peter’s Basilica opens overnight for mourners paying tribute to Pope Francis

The US VP's back-to-back presence at high-profile global events — first meeting the Pope a day before his death and then arriving in India just ahead of the Pahalgam terror attack — has sparked a flurry of conspiracy-laced jokes and memes on social media.

One user wrote, "JD Vance's world tour is something else! Meets the Pope in Italy, and poof—Pontiff's gone the next day. Lands in India, and boom, Pahalgam terror attack kills 28, including an Italian and an Israeli. Coincidence or cosmic bad luck?"

"Another added, "I can’t help but feel that JD Vance brings misfortune... the timing feels eerily unsettling."