Over the weekend, Democrats spread a baseless allegation in a cynical attempt to smear Vice President JD Vance. The Vice President, a committed Catholic, officially visited Vatican City to speak with the Pope. Unfortunately, Pope Francis, who has long been in poor health, passed away over the weekend and was unable to attend the meeting. Unconcerned with the facts, Democrats painted the incident as an intentional snub from the Vatican, and not a tragic death of a beloved figure.
For context, JD Vance recently converted to the Catholic faith and has often clashed with the Vatican during his political career. Pope Francis, as well as several other prominent Catholic figures, have condemned Vance over his conservative views on immigration.
In any case, Vance announced his visit to the Vatican on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. He said, “Today I met with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health. Happy Easter!”
Unsurprisingly, in the comments under his post, liberal activists scrambled to spread their baseless allegations. One such comment said, “Yeah Pope didn’t want to meet with you. So you use political pressure to meet Pope for a PR stunt. You are an absolute f—ing disgrace!
@POTUS narcism is clearly rubbing off on you. You really do need a period of self reflection. #JustSaying 
”
However, this narrative was utterly false. Making a follow-up post, JD Vance set the record straight after the Pope’s death was announced and offered his condolences. Vance posted, “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”
Concluding his social media post, Vance said, “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
Responding to the Pope’s sudden passing, President Donald Trump ordered that all flags will be flown at half mast. He proclaimed, “As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment.”
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See the photos of JD Vance and the Pope here:
Expanding the scope of the order, Trump said that overseas facilities would also lower their flags as a sign of respect. He added, “I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”