It's no surprise that Pope Francis, 88 and lately unwell, gave up the ghost yesterday. But it was interesting that his death was preceded by a meeting with U.S. vice president J.D. Vance. For meme-slinging online types, that's circumstancial evidence enough to declare him the killer.
Vance is an adult convert to Catholicism who has drawn criticism for his, shall we say unorthodox ideas about the Catholic faith. Catholics believe the pope is infallible, but Vance sure seemed to question the ideas held dear by Pope Francis on a regular basis. Vance responded to news of the pope's death by tweeting out his condolences, writing, "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."
Reminds me of Prime Minister Liz Truss meeting Queen Elizebeth II only for the latter to depart the planet within hours. Truss and Vance have similar qualities—a bit strange, shapeshifting politics, waxy smiles—which makes it easy to imagine that interacting with them is extraordinarily draining.
Previously:
• JD Vance tries to blame 'Magic: The Gathering' as the reason girls thought he was a creepy teen
• JD Vance is on a crusade to make divorce impossible
