JD Vance responds to President Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV

Vice President JD Vance – a Catholic convert – spoke out about the president Donald TrumpHave a grudge against Pope Leo XIVsuggested that religious leaders should “stick to moral issues.”

“When it comes to disagreements with the Vatican, we have disagreements from time to time,” Vance, 41, told fox news Monday, April 13th. “I think it’s actually a good thing for the pope to advocate for things that he cares about. But we’re always going to have disagreements on public policy issues.”

The vice president went on to say, “The Pope has been critical of our immigration policy, but ultimately America’s immigration policy is set by Donald Trump. The Pope will have disagreements on other issues. Of course we respect the Pope and we certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican.”

Vice President Vance said it was “completely reasonable” for the Vatican and the White House to disagree on “substantive” issues, though he also said it would be best for Pope Leo, 70, to stay out of U.S. foreign policy.

“(President Trump) must look out for the interests of the United States of America,” the politician argued. “What this inevitably means is that when the Vatican comments on public policy issues, sometimes there is agreement and sometimes there is disagreement. … I certainly think that in some cases it would be better for the Vatican to stick to the moral issues and stick to what’s going on in the Catholic Church. Let the president of the United States stick to deciding public policy.”

He added, “When they clash, they clash. I’m not too worried… I think it’s a natural thing. I’m sure that’s going to happen in the future.”

US Weekly The Vatican has been contacted for comment.

Vance grew up in an evangelical family and converted to Catholicism in August 2019 at the age of 35.

Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV strongly opposed the U.S. war against Iran in his April 5 Easter speech, calling military conflict an “illusion of omnipotence” and a “word of death.”

President Trump fired back on Sunday, April 12, via Truth Social, calling Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.” He also claimed that the only reason Leo was elected pope in March 2025 was because the Vatican sought better relations with the White House by choosing an American.

“(The Pope) talked about the ‘fear’ of the Trump administration, but did not mention the fear of the Catholic Church and all other Christian organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they arrested priests, priests and everyone else for holding church services even when they were outside and ten or even twenty feet apart,” Trump, 79, complained on Sunday.

He continued his rant on social media, “I don’t want the Pope to criticize the President of the United States because I’m doing what I was elected to do, which was to hit record lows in crime and create the greatest stock market in history during a landslide.”

Pope Leo responded on Monday He told reporters that he is “not afraid of the Trump administration and not afraid of speaking loudly about the message of the gospel.”

That same day, President Trump maintained his criticism of the religious leader during a White House press briefing.

“(The Pope) is very opposed to what I’m doing with Iran, and you can’t have a nuclear-armed Iran. Pope Leo won’t be happy with the end result,” Trump told the gathered media. “I think he was very soft on crime and other things, so I’m not going to (apologise).”

at the same time, President Trump faces religious backlash again A photo of an artificial intelligence depicting himself as Jesus Christ was released on Sunday. The post was later removed from Truth Social after it sparked outrage from political allies and opponents alike.

On Monday, Trump sought to downplay the controversy, telling White House press that he believed the AI ​​photo showed he “is a doctor and associated with the Red Cross.”