JD Vance tells Vatican to ‘stick to matters of morality’ amid Trump–Pope Leo clash

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance said the Vatican should focus on religious and moral matters rather than US policymaking, as tensions escalated between the Trump administration and the Holy See.

The vice president’s remarks came on Monday, April 13, amid a public clash between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over US foreign policy and immigration, with both sides exchanging sharp criticism.

JD Vance tells Vatican to avoid US politics

Speaking on 'Special Report with Bret Baier,' Vance said, “In some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what's going on in the Catholic Church and let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”

“But when they're in conflict, they're in conflict. I don't worry about it too much. Brett, I think it's a natural thing,” he added, before maintaining that “it's not that big of a deal.”

The comments followed criticism from Pope Leo XIV over US policies related to the Iran conflict and immigration, which triggered a response from Trump on social media.

Trump-Pope clash over US policy intensifies

Trump wrote, "Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church," he added.

Responding to the remarks, the pope said, "I have no fear of the Trump administration," while speaking to reporters aboard a papal flight to Algeria.

AI image sparks backlash

Vance also defended Trump’s decision to post and later delete an AI-generated image that critics interpreted as depicting the president as Jesus Christ.

“I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people werenʼt understanding his humor in that case,” Vance said.

“I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media,” he added. “And I actually think thatʼs one of the good things about this president, is that he is not filtered.”

Trump, however, denied the interpretation, saying the image showed him as “a doctor” and “a Red Cross worker.”

“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 said, adding: “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”