Catholic Vice President Advises Pope to Be More Careful When Talking About Matters of Theology

The Dispatch On April 14, 2026, Vice President JD Vance appeared at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia in Athens as part of the organization’s This Is the Turning Point Tour, a college campus speaking series. During the event, Vance was asked by a host what it was like to be positioned between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV amid their ongoing disagreement over the Iran war. While Vance was answering, a voice from the audience called out: “Jesus Christ does not support genocide.” A second voice called out: “You’re killing children. You’re bombing children.” Vance continued his remarks. In his response to the host’s question, Vance cited the Catholic theological tradition of just war theory in defense of the administration’s conduct in Iran. He stated that when the Pope says God is never on the side of those who wield the sword, there is a thousand-year tradition of just war theory to consider. Vance also argued that God was on the side of those who liberated France and other oppressed groups from the Nazis. He described the Pope’s job as being to preach the gospel. Vance said he admires Pope Leo XIV and has no problem with him speaking on issues. He then offered the following caution: “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.” Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church, posted to X on April 10 that God and his followers are never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. On April 12, President Trump posted to Truth Social that Leo was WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy, and stated that he did not want a Pope who thought it was acceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon. On April 13, aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria, Leo told reporters he had no fear of the Trump administration. On April 15, the United States Naval blockade of Iranian ports entered its second day. Nine vessels had been turned around at the Strait of Hormuz in the first 48 hours of enforcement, according to U.S. Central Command. JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019. He is the second Catholic to hold the office of Vice President of the United States. Pope Leo XIV is the head of the Catholic Church. Vance said he thinks it is very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology. Source Block Original source: USA Today Additional source: ABC News Iran live updates Archived copy: archive.org Screenshot on file: screenshots/vance-pope-theology-turning-point.png Retrieved: 2026-04-15 Additional sources: Blockade day two — CENTCOM 48-hour summary: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/15/us-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-navy-iran-seaborne-trade-oil-trump.html Internal cross-reference: 2026-04-13-trump-pope-leo-ai-healing-image.md