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Vice President JD Vance fired back at Vatican criticism of the administration by telling Pope Leo XIV to “stick to matters of morality” and stay out of American public policy.
Vance joined “Special Report” to defend the president, defining a firm line between the pope’s religious authority and the president’s role in protecting the United States.
“I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” Vance told Fox News’s Bret Baier Monday. “And let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
The first American pope has been critical of the Trump administration’s stances on issues like immigration and the conflict in Iran. Over the weekend, President Trump posted on Truth Social criticizing the religious leader.
POPE LEO CALLS OUT TRUMP’S IRAN RHETORIC BEFORE LAST-MINUTE CEASEFIRE EMERGES
Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, April 7. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” he wrote, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Speaking with reporters, Pope Leo denied fearing the Trump administration or trying to be a politician. “The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician,” he added.
Vance, who has been vocal about his conversion to Catholicism, said he’s not concerned the president and pope are arguing, and that it’s natural for them to clash with opposing views.
TRUMP ACCUSES POPE LEO OF BEING ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY OVER PONTIFF’S ANTI-WAR COMMENTS
Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8 in Budapest, Hungary. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)
“When they’re in conflict, they’re in conflict. I don’t worry about it too much, Bret. I think it’s a natural thing,” he said. “I’m sure it will happen in the future, and it’s not that big of a deal that it happened in the past.”
Vance added that while this is not the first time the two leaders have had disagreements, he does not expect it to be the last. Still, he said the White House respects the religious authority of Pope Leo and affirmed they have a strong relationship with the Vatican.
“We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican, but we’re also [going to] disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing. It isn’t particularly newsworthy,” Vance said.
He also addressed the backlash over an AI-generated image Trump shared, and later deleted, which critics said depicted the president as Jesus. The vice president dismissed the controversy as a misunderstood “joke.”
Pope Leo XIV met with Vice President JD Vance on May 19, 2025, in Vatican City. (Vatican Media/Vatican Pool – Corbis/Getty Images)
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“The president was posting a joke, and of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case,” Vance said.
“The President of the United States likes to mix it up on social media, and I actually think that’s one of the good things about this president is that he’s not filtered,” he added.
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