JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg sets Internet abuzz as he claims JD Vance ‘killed’ Pope Francis

WASHINGTON, DC: It’s not every day that a sitting US vice president ends up being accused of murdering the pope—but JD Vance somehow managed to pull it off.

It all kicked off with a one-liner from Jack Schlossberg, former president John F Kennedy’s grandson.

“Okay JD killed the pope,” Schlossberg posted to X early Monday, April 21, hours after news broke that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88.

The post may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it struck a chord and social media quickly lit up with jokes, memes, and some wild speculation following Vance’s Easter Sunday meeting with the pontiff—less than a day before his passing, the Irish Star reported.

The Pope Francis-JD Vance meeting

JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, was in Rome with his family for Easter weekend. During the trip, he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, attended Good Friday services at St Peter’s Basilica, and had a brief encounter with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday on April 20.

Less than 24 hours later, the pontiff’s death was announced — and though it was widely known that he had been battling serious health issues, the chance meeting sparked a flurry of jokes online.

Not helping matters was the long-standing tension between Vance and the pope over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which the Vatican has strongly opposed.

Pope Francis had been openly critical of several Trump-era policies, including the president’s hardline immigration stance which he once called a “disgrace.” Vance, meanwhile, has defended those very policies, even citing medieval Catholic teaching to support them.

The rift became more public earlier this year when Francis issued an unusual open letter to US Catholic bishops, calling Trump’s immigration agenda a “major crisis” and pushing back against Vance’s theological justifications.

Considering, the Easter Sunday meeting between the two was unexpectedly warm—but in hindsight it became the butt of a very public joke that took on a life of its own.

Internet roasts JD Vance following Pope Francis' demise

Social media was flooded with jokes about JD Vance after Pope Francis died hours after meeting him.

"Now I'm not saying that JD Vance killed the Pope, per se. I just think his actions raise some questions, like for example: Did JD Vance kill the Pope?" one posted on X.

"JD Vance killed the pope any other confirmation that the American gov is that of the antichrist symbolically would be too on the nose," a second user chimed in.

"There is no evidence JD Vance killed the Pope. There is also no evidence JD Vance didn’t kill the Pope. In conclusion, JD Vance should be deported to El Salvador," another quipped.

"I don't think JD Vance killed the Pope, I think meeting JD Vance probably drained the Pope's will to live. It's subtly different," someone else joked.

"Guys, JD Vance did NOT kill the Pope and it’s stupid and immature to imply he did. The Pope killed himself after meeting JD Vance," a comment read.

"It’s definitely a question that deserves investigation! Something similar to the endless investigation of Hunter's laptop would be in order," another offered.

Several hours after the pope’s death was confirmed, Vance posted a message of condolence on X.

“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," he wrote, adding, “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”

“But I’ll always remember the homily he gave in the early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul," Vance further said.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.