JD Vance condemned over image of him in Sistine Chapel – where photography is ‘forbidden'

US vice president JD Vance’s visit to Italy had already made headlines over the news that the late Pope Francis skipped an official meeting with him and sent his deputy instead (the pair did end up having a “brief” encounter on Easter Sunday, a day before the pontiff’s passing), but now, the Republican is facing criticism after he appeared to have his photo taken inside the Sistine Chapel.

The official website for the chapel, home to the Conclave or the assembly which picks a new Pope, states "in the Sistine Chapel it is forbidden to take photographs or films with any type of electronic equipment".

However, a video filmed by Vatican Media and shared on The Times' YouTube channel shows Vance being shown around the site by Vatican officials, in footage which appears to be filmed with permission.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shared the “epic shot” on Sunday, and it was also tweeted out by The Daily Wire’s White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, who said that it is an “official White House photo”:

And the aforementioned video of Vance inside the chapel was shared to Twitter/X by Catholic journalist Sachin Jose:

However, people were quick to point out the rules around photography:

Democrat candidate Sara McGee branded the image “incredibly disrespectful”:

Another user fumed that the Trump administration “has no respect for anyone or anything”:

Similarly, one account said it was “utterly despicable” and shows “rules are only to be followed by others but not the American government”:

indy100 has approached Vatican Media for comment.

Why not read...

• JD Vance broke college football trophy on TV the second he touched it
• JD Vance could be presidential candidate favourite for one reason

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.