Vice President JD Vance leaned into his faith during his three-day diplomatic trip to Israel.
Vance and second lady Usha Vance arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, the last day of the trip.
“What an amazing blessing to have visited the site of Christ’s death and resurrection. I am immensely grateful to the Greek, Armenian and Catholic priests who care for this most sacred of places,” he said in a post on X after his visit.
“I am also grateful to the Franciscan monks who celebrated a private mass for my family and many of the Americans working for peace. They are a great credit to the Christian faith and they were kind enough to take the time to minister to us at a very special moment.”
The Vances toured the church and attended a private Mass before Vance attended briefings at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv ahead of his departure for the U.S.
They first stopped by Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was crucified, the Tomb of Jesus and the Stone of Anointing, where Christ’s body was prepared for burial before entering the church, one of the holiest sites in the Christian faith.
At the Stone of Anointing, which is at the entrance of the Holy Sepulchre church, a bishop handed the vice president a red pillow to lean on.
He knelt down and made the sign of the cross with his right hand while bowing his head. Vance touched the reddish limestone slab with his hand in a silent prayer. The second lady, a Hindu, observed from the side.
The Vances each lit a candle from a flame transferred from the tomb every day.
An Armenian bishop told the White House press pool, “We are sending these lights to the White House. May God bless America, the United States and Armenia and our friendship.”
The Armenian, Greek Orthodox and Catholic Latin Patriarchates of Jerusalem all have jurisdiction over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
As the vice president posed for photos outside the tomb, he told a bishop, “You guys have been protecting me from bumping my head. You could join the Secret Service.”
Vance, the second Catholic vice president in U.S. history, hinted he would be visiting the holy site during a press conference a few hours after arriving in Israel.
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined him.
At the Tuesday press conference, Vance said he would visit the church that Christians believe is the place where Jesus Christ was crucified and urged people of faith to pray for peace.
“I know that Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ, and one of them is the Prince of Peace. I’d ask all people of faith, in particular my fellow Christians, to pray that the Prince of Peace can continue to work a miracle in this region of the world,” he said.
“I think that we have made incredible strides over the past week,” he added. “We’re going to have to make a lot more. But I think with your prayers, with God’s providence and with a very good team behind me, I think we’re going to get it done.”
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019. He attended an evangelical Christian church off and on as a teen and then entered a period of near atheism in his 20s.
Vance, who will turn 40 on Aug. 2, felt close to God growing up but he wasn’t invested in organized religion, as he told the Deseret News in 2016. At the time, he said he could see himself joining a faith group in the future and gave serious thought to converting to Catholicism.
Although he was disengaged from faith during his college years, he found his way back in adulthood.
His wife who follows Hinduism supported Vance’s religious journey. She said in a television interview that she believes faith can help you become a better parent.
“My parents are Hindu and that was one of the things that made them such good parents, that makes them really good people. I’ve seen the power of that in my own life,” she said.
This church was built under the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in the fourth century. It was destroyed and rebuilt in the 11th century.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump toured the ancient church in May 2017 during Trump’s first foreign travels. Trump paid a quick visit to Israel on Oct. 10 to celebrate the first phase of a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that his administration helped broker.
Vance said at the press conference Tuesday that things are going well since the agreement that eased tensions in the region.
“We are doing very well. We are in a very good place. We’re going to have to keep working on it but I think we have the team to do exactly that,” he said as the Deseret News reported.
Secretaries of State Marco Rubio and Mike Pompeo visited the church on Feb. 16, 2025, and March 21, 2019, respectively.
Rubio is currently on a trip to Israel, followed by visits to Malaysia, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Former President Joe Biden also toured this holy site in March 2016 when he was vice president.