Vice President JD Vance faced widespread ridicule last Wednesday after appearing to forget the name of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s former ambassador to the United States, during a press conference in Budapest, Hungary.
The embarrassing moment unfolded when reporters asked the 41-year-old Catholic convert about a Free Press report alleging that Pentagon officials had summoned Cardinal Pierre to a closed-door meeting in January and threatened the Vatican with America’s military might.
“Who?!” Vance responded, before adding, “With no disrespect to the cardinal, I don’t know who Cardinal Christophe Pierre is.”
After a reporter clarified that Pierre had served as the Holy See’s ambassador to the United States from 2016 until his resignation in March, Vance quickly backpedaled: “Oh, okay, okay, I do. I’ve met him before. Sorry. I just didn’t remember the name.”
The gaffe sparked immediate mockery online, with critics questioning how a vice president who frequently touts his Catholic faith could fail to recognize one of the Church’s most senior diplomatic officials in America.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff. According to The Free Press report, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Pierre to a meeting on January 22 where Pentagon officials allegedly invoked the 14th century Avignon Papacy—a period when the French monarchy used military force to dominate papal authority—and told the Vatican that America “has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world.”
A Department of Defense spokesperson disputed the characterization, calling it “highly exaggerated and distorted.” The spokesperson insisted the meeting was “a respectful and reasonable discussion” and that the Pentagon maintains “nothing but the highest regard” for the Holy See.
The alleged threats reportedly contributed to the cancellation of a planned papal visit to the United States for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Instead, Pope Leo XIV will travel to Lampedusa on July 4—a tiny Mediterranean island where North African migrants arrive by the thousands seeking refuge in Europe. The deliberate choice of date was not lost on Vatican observers.
The Chicago-born pope has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration over its deportation agenda, support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and threats against Iran. Last week, Pope Leo responded to President Donald Trump’s warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran failed to meet U.S. demands. “This is truly unacceptable,” the pope declared to reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo.
Vance’s apparent unfamiliarity with Cardinal Pierre marks the latest in a series of religious blunders for the vice president. Earlier this month, he announced his upcoming memoir “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” with a cover featuring Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Elk Creek, Virginia—despite the 304-page book chronicling his conversion to Catholicism. The small congregation averages 17 worshippers on Sundays.
The Methodist church gaffe drew sharp criticism from religious commentators, with the National Catholic Reporter having previously called his Catholicism “little more than a political prop.”
Vance converted to Catholicism in August 2019 after being raised in a loosely evangelical, non-denominational tradition. He identified as an atheist during his college years before finding his way back to faith. He was received into the Church by Dominican priest Father Henry Stephan at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati and chose St. Augustine as his patron saint.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Vance declined to comment substantively on the Pentagon meeting allegations. “I’ve never seen this reporting. I’d like to actually talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people to figure out what actually happened,” he said. “I think it’s always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated.”
The controversy highlights the increasingly fraught relationship between the Trump administration and the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV has emerged as one of the administration’s most prominent religious critics, speaking out against policies on immigration, military action, and humanitarian issues—and the White House has punched back. On Sunday, President Trump denounced the pope as “very liberal” and suggested he should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
For Vance, whose Catholic identity has become central to his political brand, the inability to immediately recognize the name of the Vatican’s top diplomat to America proved particularly damaging. The viral moment spread rapidly across social media, with critics questioning the authenticity of his faith and his fitness for office.
As the vice president continues his diplomatic mission—including leading the U.S. delegation in recent peace talks with Iran in Islamabad—the incident serves as an unwelcome distraction and adds fuel to ongoing debates about his religious credentials and the administration’s collision course with one of the world’s most influential religious institutions.