Catholic convert JD Vance has jumped on an opportunity to align himself with Pope Leo XIV following several attacks by his boss on the leader of his faith.
The vice president took to X in response to a video of the pope, in which he said that it was “not in [his] interest at all” to “debate” Trump.
Seemingly ignoring the wider message of the interview, Vance, 41, gushed: “I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated.
“Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President–and the entire administration–work to apply those moral principles in a messy world."
Following the pope’s March statement that God doesn’t hear the prayers of warmongers, Vance finally implored: “He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
While Vance seemed to take the pope’s Saturday comments as a clean slate, the actual content of his statement was less pro-MAGA.
Chicago-born Leo referenced the “certain narrative” built of U.S.-Vatican relations after “the president of the United States made some comments” about him on the first day of his 11-day Africa tour.
“Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” the pope detailed, before establishing that he was focusing on promoting a “message of peace” rather than arguing with earthly leaders.
Prior to his clarification, many assumed that the pope was directly calling out Trump during a speech made in Cameroon last week, in which he warned that the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”
This comment came after Trump’s much more inflammatory 334-word Truth Social post last weekend, in which he ranted that “Pope Leo is WEAK” on multiple issues, “wouldn’t be in the Vatican” without him, and is “hurting the Catholic Church!”
While the pope assured his lack of interest in debating the president, it seems his statement may have been one of a desire for separation rather than of latent support.
Leo, as the first-ever American pope, has communicated some of his feelings by refusing to join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ and neglecting to visit the U.S.
The pope has also called the Iran war “atrocious,” and—while Vance warned that it should be “very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology”—has remained steadfast in his calls for peace amid global suffering.
