JD Vance Is a 'Disgrace': Veep Under Fire for Awkwardly Forgetting Meeting the Pope's Top Diplomat During Live TV Interview
JD Vance forgot the name of a top Vatican diplomat.
April 9 2026, Published 4:32 p.m. ET
JD Vance has met many world leaders and dignitaries as Vice President, but critics dragged him when he forgot the name of a high-ranking Catholic Church official, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The exchange came during the Veep's official visit to Hungary, when he couldn't place the name of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who has served as the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S. since 2016.
'Cardinal Who?'
JD Vance didn't recognize the name of Cardinal Pierre.
The gaffe took place on the airport tarmac in Budapest after Vance wrapped up meetings with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, when a reporter quizzed him about a recent article in The Free Press.
She claimed X has been "abuzz" about the story of how senior Pentagon officials in January "brought Cardinal Pierre" to the Defense Department headquarters.
"Cardinal who?" Vance asked while leaning forward, seemingly having trouble hearing.
"Cardinal Christophe Pierre," the journalist stated, as the former Ohio Senator said he "hadn't seen the story, unfortunately."
'I Just Didn't Remember the Name'
JD Vance had just finished a two day trip to Hungary when the gaffe took place.
The reporter summed up the article as Pentagon officials told Pierre that the U.S. military "has a lot of might and they can do whatever they want" and that the Catholic Church should "get on its side," asking if that message sounded "correct" to Vance.
"With no disrespect to the cardinal, I don't know who Cardinal Christophe Pierre is," the V.P. replied bluntly.
After being told, "He's the ambassador to the Holy See and the US," Vance realized he knew Pierre. "Okay, I've met him before. Sorry. I just didn't remember the name. I've never seen this reporting," the father-of-three responded.
'He's a Disgrace'
JD Vance met with Pope Francis in April 2025, shortly before the pontiff died.
"I’ve never met a Catholic more disdainful of their faith than this hillbilly pissant," one MAGA hater sneered about the Hillbilly Elegy author on X, as a second user teased, "I doubt the Cardinal will be taking Vance’s call any time soon."
"But he claimed to be Catholic and even wrote a book about it. So embarrassing," a third person noted of Vance and how his upcoming book, Communion, is about his spiritual acceptance of Catholicism in 2019.
"He’s a disgrace," a fourth person scoffed.
However, a fifth user cut Vance some slack, writing: "Amazing, Vance can't remember every name and face of the ten thousand or so people he has met. Scandalous."
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JD Vance Was Baptized as Catholic in 2019
JD Vance sat front row at the Vatican's Good Friday in 2025 for the liturgy of the Lord's Passion.
Vance has been quite open about his on-and-off relationship with his faith over the years and why he chose Catholicism seven years ago.
"I was raised Christian, but never had a super-strong attachment to any denomination, and was never baptized. When I became more interested in faith, I started out with a clean slate and looked at the church that appealed most to me intellectually," he told The American Conservative in 2019.
Vance went on to share that the people who meant the most to him in his life were Catholic.
"One of the most attractive things about Catholicism is that the concept of grace is not couched in terms of epiphany," Vance explained. "It’s not like you receive grace and suddenly you go from being a bad person to being a good person. You’re constantly being worked on. I like that."
