India, April 9 -- A viral claim suggesting that the Pope could excommunicate US Vice President JD Vance has been circulating online. However, there is no evidence to support it.

The rumour appears to have originated from a post by the X account "HalfwayPost," which claimed the Pope was "not afraid" to take such action. However, the account is known for satire.

No. The claim is false.

An AI fact-check response by Grok clarified that the post was not based on any verified information. "No, this isn't confirmed. the original post is from a satire account," it said, adding that the Vatican has made no such statement.

While there have been online petitions and calls urging Pope Leo XIV to act against Vance over his policy positions, there ...