Truth behind whether JD Vance broke Vatican protocol as photo of him in Sistine Chapel sparked backlash

JD Vance has been criticised for many things, the latest of which is having his photo taken in the Sistine Chapel during a recent visit to the Vatican.

The US vice president went to the Vatican and met Pope Francis the day before the 88-year-old pontifex died, though the two events are almost certainly unrelated.

Vance was shown around the Vatican, and he also ended up being led into the Sistine Chapel.

While in there he appears to have had his picture taken from behind while holding one of his children, silhouetted against the image of Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgement'.

Vance, often a man who attracts backlash for his actions, has been criticised for this image as plenty have pointed out that taking pictures within the Sistine Chapel is forbidden.

Among the rules of the Sistine Chapel for visitors is a ban on all photography. Its website states: "Taking pictures and filming videos in the Sistine Chapel is strictly prohibited. It is allowed to take pictures without flash inside the Vatican Museums."

It's for this reason that Vance has been slammed as 'disrespectful', while his supporters have hit back and argued that many others have had their pictures taken in the Sistine Chapel.

While the official rules tell visitors that it's strictly forbidden to take photos in the Sistine Chapel, there are many images of major politicians having their pictures taken in there.

Footage of Vance's Vatican visit was also released by The Times, who credited it to Vatican media, and it shows Vance in the Sistine Chapel while holding one of his children which would seem to indicate that the photo which caused such a stir was taken at a similar time.

An epic shot of Vice President JD Vance and his son inside the Sistine Chapel. What an incredible way to spend Easter weekend. pic.twitter.com/HldQVtcN93

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 20, 2025

It would also indicate that while the rules on photography and filming are normally to ban them, the prohibitions are relaxed when an official visitor comes along.

So in this case it seems likely that the picture was allowed, even if in normal circumstances it wouldn't be.

US figures who've been photographed in the Sistine Chapel include former US President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Michelle Obama and former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

For those wishing to find something to criticise JD Vance for, there are some other examples which would appear to leave one on more solid ground.

There was his 'embarrassing' comment towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the moment where he asked the man who'd spent three years fighting a Russian invasion whether he'd said 'thank you'.

Vance's participation in a group chat where they accidentally added a journalist where the vice president said: "I just hate bailing Europe out again."

On top of that there was the time he went to Greenland, which the US has behaved very threateningly towards, and declared it was 'cold as s**t here'.