Martina Navratilova applauds as Pope Francis reportedly skips US Vice President JD Vance meeting
Martina Navratilova has welcomed the news that Pope Francis has reportedly skipped to meet with US Vice President JD Vance. Catholic convert Vance was in Rome on official US business and met the Vatican's Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. According to reports, Pope Francis is recovering from pneumonia.
After the meeting, according to The Guardian.com, the Vatican issued a statement describing the meeting as an "exchange of opinions." The Holy See had previously expressed concern over the Trump administration's immigration policies and cuts to international aid, and had urged the US to help bring an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Martina Navratilova is a long-time critic of Donald Trump, and her dislike of the US president has not waned after his return to office in February. She has spoken out on several policy issues, and Vice-President Vance has also drawn her disapproval. The news of Vance's reported meeting was broken on X (formerly Twitter) by influencer Fiona Small, who posted:
"Pope Francis skipped the Vatican's official meeting with Vice President JD Vance Saturday, instead having his No. 2 give the vice president a lecture on compassion, according to a Vatican statement."
Navratilova was quick to applaud the Vatican on her X (formerly Twitter) account. She simply posted three hand-clap emojis.
Martina Navratilova and former doubles maestro Rennae Stubbs frequently post about the new US administration. The two influential tennis stars have significant social media fan bases, and Navratilova, in particular, has 457,000 followers.
Martina Navratilova is not a fan of JD Vance, Donald Trump, or the new US government
Martina Navratilova is a leading liberal voice in the US. She has used various platforms to speak out about what she sees as Donald Trump's perceived shortcomings. She has also turned her ire on JD Vance on several occasions. Navratilova is an advocate for women's rights, and Vance's public statements on the subject have irked her before.
When Trump and Vance were on the campaign trail last year, Navratilova came across a quote from Vance in which he suggested women should prioritize having children rather than a career. Navratilova was quick to castigate Vance on X:
"JD Vance just might be an even bigger misogynist than Trump. And that's not easy..."
Martina Navratilova is considered as one of the greatest ever players in tennis. Alongside her 18 Major singles titles, she was the World No. 1 singles player for 332 weeks and the top doubles player for a record 237 weeks in the 1970s and 1980s.