Vice President JD Vance was brutally mocked on Wednesday after he claimed not to know a high-ranking official in the Catholic church.
Vance was asked at a press conference in Budapest, Hungary, about a report from the Bari Weiss-led publication, "The Free Press," about senior military leaders inviting Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who served as Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. until March 2026, to the Pentagon and telling him that the church should get on board with Trump's war in Iran.
Vance, a self-described devout Catholic with a book coming out about his journey of faith, stunned political observers and analysts with his answer.
"For one, with no disrespect to the Cardinal, I don't know who Cardinal Christophe Pierre is," Vance said.
The reporter reminded Vance that Pierre is the ambassador to the Holy See and the U.S.
"Oh ... right, right," Vance said. "I just didn't remember the name."
Political analysts and observers reacted to Vance's comments on social media.
"Screaming at the fact that the Catholic Church leadership hates Vance more than that monkey troupe hated Punch," actress Jennifer Kirton posted on Bluesky.
"Why would Vance know about a high-ranking Catholic leader with ties to DC? It’s not like Vance is a recent convert who wrote a forthcoming book about the importance of his Catholic faith," jeopardy champion Hemant Mehta posted on X.
"But… you’re Catholic…" actress Morgan Fairchild posted on X.
"Come on Pope Leo, excommunicate his a--!" astrophysicist Alfredo Carpineti posted on Bluesky. "I want him to have to beg for forgiveness like Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV in the snow for three days."