After butting heads with President Donald Trump over the Iran War, it appears comments made by Pope Leo XIV similarly irked Vice President JD Vance.
The vice president remarked on the Chicago native’s theological views while speaking to an audience at a Turning Point USA rally in Georgia on April 14. Here’s what he said.
What did JD Vance say about Pope Leo?
Pope Leo said in an April 10 social media post that anyone who is a disciple of Christ “is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
In response, Vance told the audience he welcomed the pope commenting on immigration and abortion, but said the pontiff was wrong to say political figures should never wield the sword. To back up his statement, Vance cited the U.S. liberation of France and the Holocaust concentration camps during World War II.
“I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said.
Vance said the pontiff should be as careful talking about theology as the vice president is when talking about public policy.
“I like that the pope is an advocate for peace. I think that’s certainly one of his roles,” Vance said. “On the other hand, how do you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?”
“When the Pope says that God is never on the side of people who wield the sword, there is more than a 1,000-year tradition of just war theory,” Vance continued. “We can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just.”
“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to be sure it’s anchored in the truth and that’s one of the things that I try to do and that’s certainly something I would expect from the clergy,” Vance added.
What is JD Vance’s religion? Is he Catholic?
Vance converted to Catholicism and calls himself deeply religious.
The vice president previously announced plans to release a memoir about his religious journey in June, titling the story “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.”
Vance described the book as a look back on his “personal journey and how I found my way back to faith,” citing his conversion to Catholicism after a protestant upbringing and a stint as an atheist.
Vance’s comments come days after discourse between Pope Leo and Trump
Just days earlier, Trump took to social media to call the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” following the pontiff’s criticisms of the war in Iran.
Trump also claimed responsibility for the pope’s election in the post, saying, “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
In response, Pope Leo told reporters, “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician. I don’t want to get into a debate with him. I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
The pope also labeled the name of the Truth Social website “ironic.”
CONTRIBUTING: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Vance joins Trump in discourse with Pope Leo. Here’s what he said
Reporting by Hannah Hudnall and Bart Jansen, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
