(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance played down political differences between the Trump administration and the late Pope Francis and said he felt lucky to have held one of the last meetings with the Catholic pontiff before he died.

The two met briefly on Sunday morning at the Vatican while Vance was visiting Italy. The pope died the next day.

Vance said he reflected on the fact that he was one of the last officials to meet Pope Francis, whom he described as a great pastor, before he passed away.

"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," Vance told journalists in India after his Italy trip had concluded. "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."

The pope was a sharp critic of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, calling them a disgrace shortly before his inauguration in January.

Vance dismissed differences between the U.S. administration and the late pontiff.

"I'm aware that he had some disagreements with some of the policies of our administration. He also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration," Vance said.

"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."

Asked if he hoped the next pope would follow in Francis' progressive footsteps or take a more traditional approach, the conservative Vance demurred.

"I won't pretend to give guidance to the Cardinals on who they should select as the next pope. We've got plenty of issues to focus on in the United States," Vance said. "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."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Richard Chang)