For Melania Trump, the upcoming journey to the Vatican is more than an official visit, it is way too personal.
The world is preparing to bid farewell to Pope Francis. His Funeral will take place on Saturday, as confirmed by the Vatican. The First Lady of the United States will be returning to Rome to attend the funeral alongside her husband, President Donald Trump.
The moment will turn out to be a full-circle return to the city where, in 2017, Melania had one of the most meaningful experiences of her time in the White House. “Today’s visit with His Holiness Pope Francis @Pontifex is one I’ll never forget,” she wrote at the time. “I was humbled by the honor. Blessings to all.”
Today’s visit with His Holiness Pope Francis @Pontifex is one I’ll never forget. I was humbled by the honor. Blessings to all. pic.twitter.com/NiomkFQqJb
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) May 24, 2017
It was during that trip, her first international visit as First Lady, that she quietly made headlines. Melania brought along her rosary beads for Pope Francis to bless. That was a first time public confirmation that she is Catholic. With that reveal, she became the first practicing Catholic to serve as First Lady since Jacqueline Kennedy.
The latter, met Pope John XXIII in 1962 in a black lace mantilla and dress. Melania also followed the tradition.
Melania’s relationship with both her faith and the Pope was more than ceremonial. During the 2017 visit, she wrote to the Vatican requesting to visit the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital. That is an institution outside the city-state’s walls, and was previously visited by figures like Princess Diana and Mother Teresa. She toured the children’s ward, offered prayers and gifts.
Now, nearly eight years later, Melania is returning to Vatican City, this time for a final goodbye. The funeral for Pope Francis will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica. And, her birthday is on that date too.
President Trump confirmed their attendance with a post on Truth Social, writing, “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”
Trump is going to Pope Francis’s funeral for his own ego and make tariff deals. It’s disgusting! Francis hated the creep!
— KB #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@GalwayGirl2505) April 24, 2025
As they prepare to step back into the Vatican, it’s impossible to ignore the history that lingers between Trump and the late Pope. The two had publicly clashed over the years, took jabs that made headlines. At one point, Pope Francis questioned Trump’s faith over his push for border walls, and Trump dismissed the pontiff as being “too political.”
Still, during their 2017 meeting, the tone was different. Trump presented Francis with a boxed set of Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings, and the two posed for official photos that spoke more of diplomacy than dispute.
Vice President JD Vance also visited the Pope just one day before his passing. Ever since the Pope passed away, theories have erupted on social media that the VP might have something to do with the Pope’s passing away.
Still, for Melania, this isn’t about diplomacy.
The woman who once asked for her rosary beads to be blessed by the Pope now returns to honor him on what should have been a birthday bash. In the end, the memory she once said she’d “never forget” becomes a farewell she never imagined.
