​Why JD Vance memes are flooding the internet after Pope Francis' death?

The internet is flooded with memes targeting US Vice President JD Vance following the death of Pope Francis. Pope Francis died of a stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday, the Vatican announced. He was 88. He was the first Latin American pontiff in history. The Vatican confirmed that the pontiff died of a stroke, which put him into a coma and led to heart failure.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived, confirmed.

The pontiff’s passing came a day after he briefly met JD Vance. On his Vatican visit, Vance met the pontiff briefly and exchanged Easter greetings. The proximity of the meeting and Francis’ death sparked memes and conspiracy theories amongst netizens. Social media platforms, including X, Reddit, and TikTok, are flooded with memes, some even blaming Vance.

Take a look at the memes and reactions of netizens.
An X user dropped an AI-generated picture that features a rather irked Vance saying, "He didn't say thank you."

One user reimagined Vance as the Grim Reaper with a scythe as he met Pope Francis.

A netizen commented,"It’s heartbreaking that Pope Francis, in his final days, poured his waning strength into reaching out to you, JD, desperately trying to save your soul from the toxic influence of a false prophet and conman, Donald Trump. How tragic that he wasted those precious moments on a performative Christian who craved a photo op while privately scorning the Pope’s passing, likely because Francis dared to challenge you to treat migrants with basic human dignity and reject the demonic grip of Trump’s lies. As the world mourns a true servant of God in 2025, your betrayal of Christ’s teachings stings even deeper, aligning with the divisive rhetoric still poisoning our nation’s discourse!"


Another defended this and stated that the VP's visit to Rome was about understanding the importance of faith and international diplomacy. "JD Vance’s trip to Rome isn’t just about a nice photo op. It’s about positioning himself as a leader who understands the importance of faith and international diplomacy."

A netizen satirically asked, "Could you meet with Putin now? Please."

One X user even went to the length of calling him an 'antichrist'. "Is 20 hours the typical length of time it takes to die after encountering a demon sent by the Antichrist?" wrote one.

"Lmao! You’ve heard of the Grim Reaper, we’ll meet @JDVance The Grim Creeper," wrote one.

Meanwhile, JD Vance expressed that 'it was an honour to meet with Pope Francis' in a post shared on X. "It was an honor to meet with Pope Francis, Prime Minister Meloni, and Church officials in Italy this weekend. Visiting Rome with my family during Holy Week was an incredible experience," the VP said.