Vance offers new advice to Pope Leo after urging the Vatican to stick to morality.
US vice president JD Vance has escalated the administration’s public dispute with Pope Leo XIV, telling a Turning Point USA event in Georgia that the pontiff should be cautious when speaking about theological matters.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism six years ago, made reference to a recent social media post in which the pontiff stated: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
The US vice president argued that there is a tradition of more than a thousand years of Just War theory to consider, noting: ““We can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just.”
Theology
“I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said, stressing: “If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to be sure it’s anchored in the truth”.
The remarks built on comments Vance had made on Monday. Speaking on Fox News, he had suggested it would in some cases be best for the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality” and leave the president of the United States to set American public policy.
Trump’s attack on Pope Leo
The row between Washington and the Holy See intensified after Trump called Leo “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in a scathing attack on Sunday night, while also sharing an AI-generated image appearing to depict himself as Jesus Christ, which he later deleted after an outcry from Christians around the world.
The pope, currently on an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, responded by stating he had no fear of the Trump administration and would continue to proclaim the message of the Gospel.
Outrage in Italy
Trump came in for heavy criticism from across the political spectrum in Italy, including a rare rebuke from premier Giorgia Meloni, who said the US president’s attack on the pope was “unacceptable”.
Trump responded in a harshly-worded interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in which he said he was “shocked” by Meloni, claiming: “She is the one who is unacceptable”.
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