JD Vance gets called a "fake Catholic" by social media users
‘Catholic’ JD Vance Draws Attention After Failing to Recognize Top Vatican Diplomat
Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism, made an apparent misstep while discussing his faith. Not only did he appear caught off guard during the interview, but he was also mocked by users online.
According to The Daily Beast, Vance was criticized after he said he was unfamiliar with a senior Vatican diplomat, Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
While speaking to reporters in Hungary, the Vice President was asked about a Free Press report which stated that top Pentagon brass summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre to a January 2026 meeting and told him that the U.S. has the military power to do “whatever it wants” and that the first American-born pontiff, Pope Leo, “better take its side.”
JD Vance gets trolled by social media users after his latest faux pas in the interview
However, Vance immediately replied, “With no disrespect to the cardinal, I don’t know who Cardinal Christoph Pierre is.” The reporter clarified by stating that Pierre was Pope Leo XIV’s then-ambassador to the United States.
The Vice President then quickly corrected himself and said, “Oh, okay, okay, I do. I’ve met him before.” Vance, who often is very vocal about his conversion to Catholicism, added, “Sorry. I just didn’t remember the name. I’ve never seen this reporting. I’d like to actually talk to Cardinal Christoph Pierre and, frankly, to our people to figure out what actually happened.”
Avoiding a direct response, the former corporate lawyer said, “I think it’s always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so I’m not going to do that.”
The same video was quick to go viral on X, and internet was agitated at Vance’s knowledge of Catholicism. A social media user said, “He is such a pathetic loser, and he calls himself a Catholic. He should be excommunicated.”
Social media users call JD Vance a "fake Catholic."
An X user added, “Fake Catholic does not remember the Catholic Church ambassador.” A commenter wrote, “Vance is a fake Catholic.” A social media user mocked the Vice President and said, “But he claimed to be Catholic and even wrote a book about it.”
Another social media user said, “I have never met a Catholic more disdainful of their faith.” An X user wrote, “He is so embarrassing.” A user on X mocked the Hillbilly Elegy author and said, “Lol, I doubt whether the Cardinal will pick up his call anytime soon.”
JD Vance was also criticized for announcing an upcoming memoir about converting into a Catholic. The issue intensified because the cover of the book featured a United Methodist church.
The 304-page memoir has been titled Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith and was announced on April 1, 2026. The memoir will reportedly revolve around Vance’s personal journey to Catholicism after a period of atheism.
The picture of the church featured on the cover of the memoir shows Mount Zion Church in Elk Creek, Virginia. It is reportedly a congregation of the United Methodist Church’s Holston Conference on Mt. Zion Road, with an average Sunday attendance of 17.
The Vice President converted to Catholicism after being raised in a loosely non-denominational and evangelical tradition. He was also earlier identified as an atheist during his college days.