The Catholic Church’s new pope may not see eye to eye with one of their own: Vice President JD Vance.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the first ever pontiff from the U.S. after being selected during on the second day of the papal conclave. The Chicago-born pope, who took the name Leo XIV, succeeds former Pope Francis after his death last month.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, congratulated Leo in a post on X.
“Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election!” Vance said on May 8. “I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”
But Vance and the new pope appear to be on opposite sides of U.S. immigration policy and the true meaning of “ordo amoris” − a theological debate the vice president sparked earlier this year.
Vance invoked ordo amoris − meaning “order of love” − as he defended President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. During a January Fox News interview, Vance argued that Christianity teaches people to love those closest to them and accused Democrats of caring more about migrants than American citizens.
Francis disagreed, telling U.S. bishops in a February letter that “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.” Vance met with Francis at the Vatican during the final hours of the former pontiff’s life.
Leo shared multiple articles on the X that defended Francis’ views on immigration and disputed Vance’s position. One of them was an opinion piece in the National Catholic Reporter with the headline, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” Leo also reposted a column from Bishop Evelio Menjivar, who has criticized U.S. immigration policy.
“To those of you who are silent or think this does not involve you, to those of you who are not troubled by this – or worse, who applaud it – particularly those who are Catholic, I ask you: Do you not see the suffering of your neighbors?” Menjivarwrote. “Do you not realize the pain and misery and very real fear and anxiety these unjust government operations and policies are causing? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
A Vance spokesperson did not immediately comment on Leo’s social media activity.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pope Leo XIV criticized Vice President JD Vance on immigration, ‘ordo amoris’
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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