JD Vance tells Pope Leo XIV he must 'be careful' when speaking on 'matters of theology'

ATHENS, GEORGIA: Vice President JD Vance cautioned Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday to tread lightly when weighing in on theology, especially when his views collide with US foreign policy.

Speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Georgia, Vance pushed back on the pope’s recent remarks that Jesus “is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” The vice president argued that such a stance glosses over historical moments where American military action aligned with moral good.

“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those, those innocent people, you know, those who had survived the Holocaust? I certainly think the answer is yes,” he said.

A theological line in the sand

A practicing Catholic who met the pope in May, Vance made clear that he doesn’t object to religious leaders entering public debates. He even welcomed the pope’s engagement on certain hot-button issues.

He said he appreciates it when the pope speaks on abortion, immigration, or “matters of war and peace,” but acknowledged that agreement isn’t always guaranteed.

“Now we can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just, but I think in the way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said.

He doubled down on that point, saying it was meant less as a rebuke and more as a standard he believes should apply across the board.

“But I think one of the issues here is that if you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth, and that’s one of the things that I try to do, and it’s certainly something I would expect from the clergy, whether they’re Catholic or Protestant,” he added.

Trump versus the Pope

The remarks come as tensions simmer between the pope and President Donald Trump. The pope criticized the war in Iran, prompting Trump to fire back and brand him as “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Pope Leo XIV didn’t flinch. "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, what the church is here to do," he declared when asked about Trump’s remarks.

Trump’s comments stirred backlash among American Catholics in his own base. Several members of the clergy stepped in to defend the pope and called the attacks out of line.

At one point, Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. But the image didn’t last long and was deleted soon after a major backlash.

A day later, Trump offered his own explanation.

“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” he told reporters outside of the Oval Office.

“Only the fake news could come up with that one,” he continued. “I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better and I do make people better.”