Vice President JD Vance — a Catholic convert — has weighed in on President Donald Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, suggesting the spiritual chief ought to “follow issues of morality.”
“Relating to the disagreements with the Vatican, we’re going to have disagreements once in a while,” Vance, 41, instructed Fox Information on Monday, April 13. “I believe it’s a superb factor truly that the Pope is advocating for the issues that he cares about. However we’re all the time going to have disagreements on issues of public coverage.”
The Vice President went on, “The Pope has been important of our immigration coverage however finally the immigration coverage of the USA is about by Donald Trump. The Pope goes to have disagreements on different points. We definitely respect the Pope, we definitely have a superb relationship with the Vatican.”
Vice President Vance stated it was “completely affordable” for the Vatican and the White Home to disagree on “substantive” points, although he additionally urged it could be greatest if Pope Leo, 70, stayed out of U.S. international coverage.
Maria Shriver has strongly condemned President Donald Trump for his scathing criticism of Pope Leo XIV. “All of us deserve higher, and all of us can converse up and demand higher,” Shriver, 70, wrote by way of Instagram on Monday, March 13. “The job of President requires composure, compassion, and the power to not react to something and every little thing […]
“[President Trump] has to look out for the pursuits of the USA of America,” the politician argued. “That inevitably implies that when the Vatican feedback on problems with public coverage, generally there’s going to be settlement and generally there’s going to be disagreement. … I definitely suppose that, in some instances, it could be greatest for the Vatican to stay to issues of morality, to stay to issues of what’s happening within the Catholic Church. Let the President of the USA follow dictating public coverage.”
He added, “After they’re in battle, they’re in battle. I don’t fear about it an excessive amount of … I believe it’s a pure factor. I’m certain it should occur sooner or later.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the Vatican for remark.
Vance transformed to Catholicism at age 35 in August 2019 after rising up in an evangelical household.
Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV got here out strongly in opposition to the U.S. battle in Iran throughout his Easter speech on April 5, calling the navy battle a “delusion of omnipotence” and a “discourse of dying.”
President Trump fired again by way of Fact Social on Sunday, April 12, calling Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime and horrible for international coverage.” He additionally claimed that the one purpose Leo was chosen as Pope in March 2025 was that the Vatican sought higher relations with the White Home by selecting an American.
“[The Pope] talks about ‘worry’ of the Trump Administration, however doesn’t point out the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all different Christian Organizations, had throughout COVID after they have been arresting monks, ministers and everyone else, for holding Church Companies, even when going exterior, and being ten and even twenty toes aside,” Trump, 79, complained on Sunday.
Pope Leo XIV in Monaco in March 2026. Stephane Cardinale/PLS Monaco Pool/Getty Photographs
His social media rant went on, “I don’t desire a Pope who criticizes the President of the USA as a result of I’m doing precisely what I used to be elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting File Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Best Inventory Market in Historical past.”
Pope Leo responded on Monday by telling reporters that he had “no worry of the Trump administration or talking out loudly of the message of the Gospel.”
That very same day, President Trump stood by his criticism of the spiritual chief throughout a White Home press convention.
“[The Pope] was very a lot in opposition to what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you can not have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo wouldn’t be pleased with the tip outcome,” Trump instructed the assembled press. “I believe he’s very weak on crime and different issues so I’m not [going to apologize].”
In the meantime, President Trump confronted one other spiritual backlash for posting an AI picture depicting himself as Jesus Christ on Sunday. The submit was later faraway from Fact Social when it sparked outrage from each political allies and opponents.
Trump tried to downplay the controversy on Monday, telling the White Home press pool that he thought the AI picture confirmed him “as a health care provider and needed to do with [the] Crimson Cross.”
