Donald Trump has lashed out at Pope Leo several times over the past week. Now, Vice President JD Vance—who converted to Catholicism as an adult—has joined the president, accusing Leo of interfering in U.S. public policy.
Donald Trump is certainly not a big fan of Pope Leo. The American-born leader of the Catholic Church from Chicago, Illinois, has repeatedly responded to Trump’s attacks in recent days.
On Sunday, April 12, Trump posted a lengthy rant on Truth Social about Pope Leo, calling him “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote on social media. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons—including murderers, drug dealers, and killers—into our country.”
Pope Leo has spoken out against Donald Trump’s war in Iran, and while on his way to a tour, he stated that he is undeterred by the U.S. president’s criticism.
The leader of the Catholic Church added that he will continue to speak out against war and promote peace. Leo said that global conflicts like the one in Iran are causing significant human suffering, and insisted that moral leadership requires advocating for alternatives to violence.
JD Vance accuses Pope Leo of interfering in U.S. public policy
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among states to find just solutions to problems,” Pope Leo told reporters. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Donald Trump is now not the only Trump administration official to speak out against Pope Leo. When appearing on Fox News on Monday, April 13, Vice President JD Vance did as well.
When asked about Donald Trump’s criticism of the leader of the Catholic Church, Vance criticized the American pope. He also accused Leo of interfering in U.S. public policy.
“I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” Vance told Fox News’ Brett Baier. “To stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church, and let the president of the United States handle American public policy. But when they’re in conflict, they’re in conflict.”
Converted to Catholicism as an adult
“I don’t worry too much about it, Brett,” the VP added.
Just a few weeks ago, JD Vance announced a new memoir titled Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, in which he described his conversion to Catholicism.
“Communion is about my personal journey and how I found my way back to faith,” JD Vance wrote on X to promote the book.
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