Fact Check: Is Pope Leo XIV excommunicating JD Vance amid Pentagon-Vatican row?

The claim surfaced amid online petitions and calls urging the Pope to act against Vance

BY SAURAV SURESH

PUBLISHED APR 10, 2026

A viral social media post claims Pope Leo XIV could excommunicate Vice President JD Vance (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the alleged row between the Pentagon and the Catholic Church, a rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that Pope Leo XIV could excommunicate Vice President JD Vance over his policy positions. Let us analyze and fact-check the authenticity of the viral claim.

Claim: Pope Leo XIV to excommunicate JD Vance

The claim surfaced amid the reported strained relationship between the Pentagon and the Vatican (@HalfwayPost/X)

The rumor originated from a post on X suggesting that the Pope could excommunicate the Vice President, and claimed that the Pope was not afraid to take such action.

The claim surfaced amid the online petitions and calls urging the Pope to act against Vance over his policy positions and the reported strained relationship between the Pentagon and the Vatican.

The viral post has garnered almost a million views and thousands of likes, and continues to go viral, while many online users appear to believe the claim to be true, a few others questioned the truth behind it.

Fact Check: False, the claim originated as a satire

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MAY 19: (EDITOR NOTE: STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO MERCHANDISING). Pope Leo XIV meets with US Vice President JD Vance, on May 19, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Vatican Media/Vatican Pool - Corbis/Getty Images) — Pope Leo XIV meets with US Vice President JD Vance on May 19, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican (Vatican Media/Vatican Pool - Corbis/Getty Images)

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that Pope Leo XIV or the Catholic Church made such a statement. A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible results from any prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered.

Moreover, the X account, ‘The Halfway Post,’ which made the viral claim, is a satire account that often posts such unverified claims for the sake of engagement.

The post even began with the remark, ‘BREAKING,’ which is a common feature of unverified news to make it look sensational.

A fact-check by Grok also debunked this, stating, “No, this isn't confirmed. The original post is from a satire account (HalfwayPost), and the Vatican has made no such statement. Online petitions and calls are urging Pope Leo XIV to excommunicate JD Vance over his policy comments, but nothing from the Pope himself.”

Vatican envoy transition in US amid diplomatic tensions

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican ecclesiastical ambassador to the United States, speaks during a remembrance mass following the death of Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on April 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis, 88, died on Monday at 07:35 local time and — Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican ecclesiastical ambassador to the United States, speaks during a remembrance mass following the death of Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on April 21, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Cardinal Christophe Pierre recently stepped down from his role as apostolic nuncio to the United States after turning 80 on January 30, in line with Vatican norms.

He has since been succeeded by Gabriele Giordano Caccia, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV to serve as the new Vatican representative in the US.

The leadership transition comes at a time when diplomatic sensitivities remain high, with both Washington and the Vatican navigating complex global challenges.

While the details of the reported meeting remain disputed, the episode has added another layer of tension to ongoing discussions about the intersection of faith, diplomacy, and military power.