Calls mount for Pope to punish JD Vance: 'Excommunicate the heretic!'

Vice President JD Vance was under fire on Thursday after a number of voices called for his excommunication from the Catholic Church.

Vance has described himself as a devout Catholic and has a new book coming out about his faith journey. But critics of the vice president have demanded Pope Leo punish Vance and take a stand after the Church leader called President Donald Trump's threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable."

The internet shared their thoughts on what they believe the pope should do.

"The Chicago pope must excommunicate the heretic JD Vance," Elizabeth Lopatto, editor at The Verge, wrote on Bluesky.

"Excommunicate JD Vance. Place Washington D.C. under interdict. The whole diocese of Arlington, too, for good measure - that’s where half the Supreme Court goes to mass," Molly Conger, host of the "Weird Little Guys" podcast on Cool Zone Media, wrote on Bluesky.

"Petition for the Pope to personally excommunicate JD Vance over this nonsense," writer Kathryn Brightbill wrote via Bluesky.

"Pope Leo I'm gonna level with you it's time to either excommunicate JD Vance or shut up," Jack Kennedy, Ph.D. candidate at Hertie School in Berlin, Germany, and editorial fellow at The Bulletin, wrote on Bluesky.

"Excommunicate JD Vance," Aparna Nair, writer, teacher and disability advocate, wrote on Bluesky, adding a vulgar acronym to emphasize her point.

"Come on Pope Leo, excommunicate his a--!" astrophysicist Alfredo Carpineti posted on Bluesky. "I want him to have to beg for forgiveness like Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV in the snow for three days."