Does a viral video authentically portray U.S. Vice President JD Vance talking about "parodies" and "accusations" after visiting the Vatican hours before the death of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The original sound was digitally replaced in the clip. The recording was first published nine months before the pontiff's death.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 24, 2025. It opened:
It's a shame that a sitting vice president has to explain why he isn't attending the late pontiff's funeral.
I don't blame him - the rhetoric was off the rails.
Listen as @VP JD Vance makes his statement -- those of you who were making ridiculous comments like he was responsible for the death of pope Francis and the endless memes should be really ashamed of yourselves, especially if you support our second in command. Do better!!!
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot by Lead Stories)
The video purported to show Vance saying the following:
Hello, everyone! I am JD Vance. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion in the media about my relationship with Pope Francis, and I would like to fully explain why I will not be attending his funeral. There has been widespread speculation about whether I will attend the Pope's funeral. I want to make it clear that I have no intention of avoiding it. This matter is simply too sensitive. Given the complicated history between the Trump administration and the Pope, my every move could be excessively misinterpreted. As you have seen, merely because I met with him a few hours before his passing, I was subjected to various parodies and even unwarranted accusations, which has forced me to act with caution. The White House has announced that President Trump will attend the funeral, and the selection of other government representatives is still under discussion. I do not want my presence or absence to bring unnecessary controversy to this solemn occasion. I hope everyone can focus more on his achievements, rather than making baseless speculations and attacks against him. It was an honor to meet with the Pope on Easter when he was feeling unwell. I sincerely said to him 'You've not been feeling great, but I'm glad to see you looking better' as a genuine wish for his recovery. Who could have imagined that just a few hours later, he would pass away? It was truly heartbreaking.
However, the sound was not authentic -- it was digitally replaced. The original video was uploaded on YouTube on July 18, 2024, meaning that it predates the pontiff's death on April 21, 2025. In that recording, Vance is seen in identical settings as in the clip on X, but he gives a speech to accept the Republican vice-presidential nomination, not to discuss "parodies" and "accusations" about last meeting with Pope Francis (archived here).
(Source: YouTube screenshot by Lead Stories)
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Other Lead Stories fact checks mentioning JD Vance are here.
