Less than one month after he broke Vatican rules while touring the sacred city, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has once again landed in hot water – this time for acting like a “hillbilly” during his meeting with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
The day before JD Vance met with Pope Francis,the Ohio senator-turned-vice president spent the day with his family, touring Vatican City and its religious landmarks, including the historic Sistine Chapel.
Despite the Vatican Museum strictly forbidding photography “with any type of electronic equipment,” a photo of the VP holding his son under the Sistine Chapel’s canopy of priceless artwork by Michelangelo hit the internet, leaving people outraged.
And now, Vance’s growing saga of blunders continues with the newly appointed leader of the Roman Catholic Church – Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, who’s been called anti-Trump by MAGA supporters.
Clash with Trump administration
Prior to his papacy, the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV had openly criticized several Republican policies – especially regarding immigration and refugee treatment – positions that clash directly with the Trump administration.
In early 2025, Vance fueled the fire when he used Christianity to defend his position on mass deportation: “There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that,” Vance told Fox.
Correcting the vice president, Pope Leo – then Cardinal Robert Prevost – shared a social media post saying Vance was “wrong” for suggesting God ranks love.
“JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” the pope tweeted in a now deleted account. The New York Times writes that it’s unknown Prevost ran the account, but “it was connected to a phone number and email address believed to be tied to him.”
Politicization of the pope game’
Recently, Vance tried to downplay the tension in an interview, saying that as a Catholic convert, he won’t play “politicization of the pope game.”
“I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all, and that’ll be the way that I handle it.”
Explaining that he does realize “the Church is so much bigger than politics,” Vance told Fox News: “There are a lot of views the Catholic leadership holds that are, you know, you might consider on the right side of the spectrum. There are a lot of views they’re going to hold that might be more traditionally on the left side of the spectrum. And then there are a lot of views that don’t map easily onto politics at all.”
“I think it would be better for all of us if we allowed the Church to be about the saving of souls and didn’t try to fit it into a pre-ordained political box,” he concluded.
Etiquette for meeting pontiff
On Sunday, May 18, after his inaugural mass, Pope Leo XIV met with dignitaries, who have long been expected to follow well-established rules for meeting the pope.
According to MetroWest,proper etiquette includes:
- Wait patiently for an introduction.
- Speak only when spoken to, addressing the pope as “Your Holiness.”
- Dress conservatively (suit and tie for men, modest attire for women).
- Absolutely no touching beyond a handshake – unless the pope initiates otherwise.
But when Vance met Leo for the first time, instead of sticking to the strict script of papal etiquette, he surprised onlookers with a gesture that has since gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
‘Cringey’
Vance, no stranger to Vatican drama after his past clashes with Pope Francis over Trump-era deportation policies, didn’t fly solo this time. By his side in Rome was his wife Usha Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had touched down early to jumpstart delicate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
After a seemingly respectful handshake and a few polite words, Vance reached out and gave Pope Leo a casual pat on the elbow – an action some have since slammed as “cringey.”
Social media wasted no time lighting up with reactions.
“Why on earth [is Vance] is touching the Pope by his shoulder? It’s an awful breach of protocol,” tweets one user.
A second writes, “He touched the Pope. I don’t think you are supposed to do that.”
A third netizen, noticing the pope’s uncomfortable shrug after Vance and his wife walked away, shared: “Did the Pope shudder after Vance left? That casual grabbing of the Pope’s arm like they’re bros was cringey. Show some respect.”
“Vance seems to think the Pope is his bar room buddy and reaches out and pats the Popes elbow. As Vance walks away the Pope indicates he doesn’t like it,” offered a fourth.
Another adds of the “Hillbilly Elegy” author, “That low class hillbilly…Really – no class, no manners, just a hillbilly…”
“After the Vance’s move along the look of disgust on Leo’s face is off the charts,” shared one more.
What do you think of Vance’s meeting with the pope? Do you feel the arm pat was inappropriate? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear from others!