When a political figure presumes to instruct the pope on theology, it exposes a deeper tension between authority, expertise, and the modern entanglement of religion and politics.
By Nick Pearson
Digital Engagement and Audience Lead
9News
Donald Trump‘s vice president has said the pope ‘needs to be careful’ when commenting on theology.
JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism seven years ago, made the comments at a Turning Point USA event.
“In the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” Vance said.
“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth.
“That’s one of the things that I try to do, and it’s certainly something I would expect from the clergy, whether they’re Catholic or Protestant.”
Vance was responding to Pope Leo XIV‘s message days ago in favour of peace.
“God does not bless any conflict,” the pope said.
“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.”
Vance said the pope’s comments were in contradiction to a “more than thousand-year tradition of Just War theory”.
“He said that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword…how can you say that?” Vance said.
“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?
“Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those innocent people from those who had survived the Holocaust?”
Vance has publicly espoused his Catholic faith, including penning an autobiography about his faith journey this year.
The vice president was baptised as a Catholic in 2019, three years before he entered electoral politics. Before that he identified as an atheist.
Vance’s comments come days after Trump drew the ire of Christians by posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ.
In the image, Trump is dressed in robes and healing a man with glowing light from his hand. In the foreground a kneeling woman prays to him.
Trump later deleted the image and claimed he was actually being depicted as a doctor.
Vance meanwhile brushed off the criticism by claiming Trump was making a joke.
“I think the president was posting a joke, and of course, he took it down because he recognised a lot of people weren’t understanding his humour,” Vance said.
Earlier this week, Trump accused Pope Leo as being “weak on crime”.
The first American pope, Leo XIV has been the head of the Catholic Church for less than a year.
The Chicago-born pontiff was ordained in 1982 and became a cardinal in 2023.
Originally published by 9News (Australia), 04.15.2026, republished under fair use.
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