John F. Kennedy's grandson slammed after claiming JD Vance 'killed the Pope'

grandson has bizarrely claimed US Vice President JD Vance is responsible for the death of . Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, . The 88-year-old has suffered health issues for several months after being admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome for which developed into .

JD had met with the late But in a bizarre social media trend, has been dubbed the "anti-Christ". In post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jack Schlossberg said: "Okay JD killed the pope."

His post which has been viewed over 283,000 times was soon flooded with messages of criticism. One user said: "Your words are shameful." A second added: "Are you kidding with this? Just not funny – total disrespect." A third fumed: "No, Johnny. Maybe it's time to back off."

For round the clock updates on the death of Pope Francis,

"Insensitive. You should know better," commented another. JD, who converted to Catholicism as an adult had a private audience with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, having attended mass earlier in the day. Their meeting was not part of Vance's schedule for his trip to Italy but sources have claimed that having a few moments with the Pontiff was a personal goal for him.

The pair sat with one another for a "brief" chat and a photo opportunity on Sunday. During the brief meeting, video of which showed polite but subdued greetings on behalf of Francis, Mr Vance thanked him for agreeing to see him.

He told him: "I know you have not been feeling great but it's good to see you in better health. Thank you for seeing me." The Vatican said the two met "to exchange Easter greetings", with the Pope offering three big Easter eggs for Mr Vance's children, who were not there, with the Vice President's motorcade spending a total of 17 minutes on Vatican land.

Before he left, Mr Vance could be heard saying: "I pray for you every day. God bless you." Following the news of Francis' death, JD has since taken to X to share a statement. The controversial Vice President said: "I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.

"I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I'll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul." He shared a moment of prayer given by the late head of the Catholic Church on Friday, March 27, 2020 – when the world was gripped by the coronavirus pandemic.

Confirming the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Ferrel released a statement. It read: "Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7.35am, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.

"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

In his last post on X, the Pope gave the message people are not made for death - but for life. He wrote on Sunday: "Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life."

Earlier this month Pope Francis, whose birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, met with and who and were "delighted" he "was well enough to host them". They met for around 20 minutes, with Royal sources saying the Pope took the opportunity to wish Their Majesties a happy anniversary on the day marking their 20 years of marriage.

Francis was born in Buenos Aires, , on December 17, 1936. At high school, he earned a chemical technician's diploma before entering the Jesuit novitiate in March 1958. He became a Catholic priest in 1969. Four years later, he was appointed superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina. In 1992, Pope John Paul II - who was pope from 1978 until his death in 2005 - named him an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and then in 1997, he was promoted to coadjutor archbishop. He became head of the archdiocese in 1998 and three years later, Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals.

On March 13, 2013, he became pope at the age of 76, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope in 600 years to resign from office.

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