Overview
- Vice President JD Vance and his wife spent about 90 minutes at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, attending a private Mass, going to confession, praying at the Stone of Anointing, and lighting candles at Golgotha and the tomb.
- Christian clergy escorted the couple, including Patriarch Theophilos III, and an Armenian bishop lit two candles to send to the White House, according to the press pool.
- Vance urged people of faith to pray for peace, invoking Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” and thanked Greek, Armenian, Catholic, and Franciscan custodians for their ministry.
- During the trip he met Israeli leaders and highlighted ceasefire implementation steps such as the Civilian Military Co-operation Center to support reconstruction and security coordination in Gaza.
- Before departing, he called a narrow Knesset vote on West Bank annexation an insult and restated U.S. opposition to annexation, as reporting noted ongoing disputes over the partial return of Israeli hostages’ remains.