JD Vance’s mentor reveals VP's true thoughts on Pope Leo XIV: 'He will be praying regularly for him'

JD Vance’s intellectual mentor explained why the vice president isn’t expected to enter a 'cage match' with Pope Leo XIV
PUBLISHED MAY 10, 2025
JD Vance's British mentor emphasized that he did not view Pope Leo XIV's past criticism as a personal attack (Getty Images)
JD Vance's British mentor emphasized that he did not view Pope Leo XIV's past criticism as a personal attack (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: JD Vance’s intellectual mentor has revealed the vice president’s view of the new Pope Leo XIV.

James Orr, a Cambridge professor, said, “He will be praying regularly for the new pope. He will be willing him to succeed,” as per the Daily Beast. Orr’s statement came months after Pope Leo XIV publicly called out Vance on X.

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MAY 8: The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. White smoke was seen over the Vatican early this evening as the Conclave of Cardinals took just two days to elect Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo (Leone) XIV, as the 267th Supreme Pontiff after the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

JD Vance’s intellectual mentor reveals why he's unlikely to take on 'cage match' with Pope Leo XIV

On Thursday, May 8, JD Vance shared a congratulatory message for the first-ever American pope.

He posted, “Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”



 

James Orr supported Vance’s gesture and claimed, “Vance will accept Pope Leo XIV. The vice president will simply say, ‘Well, okay. The pope, in his private capacity, doesn’t agree with me on this political question.’ And I don’t think that will faze him one bit.”

PITUFFIK, GREENLAND - MARCH 28: US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the US military's Pituffik Space Base on March 28, 2025 in Pituffik, Greenland. The itinerary for the visit was scaled back after a plan for a more extensive trip drew criticism from officials in Greenland and Denmark, which controls foreign and defence policy of the semiautonomous territory. (Photo by Jim Watson - Pool / Getty Images)
US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the US military's Pituffik Space Base on March 28, 2025, in Pituffik, Greenland (Jim Watson - Pool / Getty Images)

“Vance is not thinking, ‘I’ve got a cage match looming with Leo XIV,’” the philosopher and theologian added.

JD Vance respects new pope but long ignored late Pope Francis' progressive views

Though James Orr confirmed that JD Vance has no issues with the newly-appointed pope, they did have some problem with his predecessor Pope Francis who died in April.

Pope Francis meets Vice President JD Vance during an audience at Casa Santa Marta on April 20, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Francis meets Vice President JD Vance during an audience at Casa Santa Marta on April 20, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

He said, “I think long ago both of us stopped listening to what Francis had to say. Like any good Catholic he is perfectly capable of telling the difference between ancient church teaching and the progressive orthodoxies of lefty Latin American boomers.”

Adding further, he asserted that Vance is “a very devout Catholic. He’s an adult convert, and adult converts are serious about their faith. They haven’t been brought up in that faith—they’ve consciously decided, he consciously decided, in his mid-thirties to become a Catholic.”

Pope Leo XIV slammed JD Vance months ago

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MAY 08: Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd from St. Peter's Basilica after being elected by the conclave on May 08, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. White smoke was seen over the Vatican early this evening as the Conclave of Cardinals took just two days to elect Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo (Leone) XIV, as the 267th Supreme Pontiff after the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. (Photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd from St. Peter's Basilica after being elected by the conclave on May 08, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican (Ivan Romano/Getty Images)

In February, the newly appointed 69-year-old pope had publicly lambasted the 40-year-old politician.

Vance had justified Donald Trump’s crackdowns on immigrants. He said, “[Y]ou love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world,” as reported by the Daily Beast.



 

But the 69-year-old pope responded, stating, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.”

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