Vice President JD Vance responded to Pope Leo's recent comments opposing the war in Iran, as the Vatican has taken heat from President Trump for commenting on political matters, and specifically calling out U.S. policy.
Vance was asked about the Pope’s comments at a recent Turning Point USA event, where he suggested that the Pontiff and the president had a difference of opinion over whether the Iran war could be considered a just war.
🚨 JD VANCE RESPONDS TO POPE LEO:
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
"When the Pope says that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword — there is more than a THOUSAND year tradition of Just war Theory."
"In the same way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful… pic.twitter.com/fV0CkX93Ga
"Number one, when the Pope says that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword, there is a thousand-year, more than a thousand-year tradition of Just War Theory, okay?" Vance said. "Now we can of course have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just, but I think that it's important, 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."
"But I think one of the issues here is that 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, and 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," he added.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also responded to the Pope’s comments, arguing that if the Pope wades into political waters, he should expect political pushback.
🚨 WOW! Even SPEAKER JOHNSON is responding to Pope Leo on the Iran war — and he nailed it
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 15, 2026
"If you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response."
"It is a VERY well-settled matter of Christian theology. There's something called the Just War… pic.twitter.com/nKJaFBsICV
"Listen, I'm not one to criticize clerics and religious leaders. We defend free speech, and we certainly defend the right to free exercise of religion. And a pontiff or any religious leader can say anything they want. But obviously if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response," Johnson said. "And I think the Pope's received some of that. I was taken a little bit aback, just honestly, frankly, by something that was said. I think he said several days back that something about those who engage in war, that Jesus doesn't hear their prayers or something. It is a very well-settled matter of Christian theology."
"So I don't want to engage in a theological debate with the Pope," he added. "I certainly respect the Pope. I would just say that these are matters that people of good faith and good sense can debate and think through, and I think that's what that reflects."
This comes after the Pope has been critical not only of the Iran war, but also of the Trump administration’s immigration policy. The tensions between the Pope and the president came to a head days ago, when the Pope stated that “God does not bless any conflict.”
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. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 10, 2026
President Trump responded, blasting the Pope, writing, on Truth Social that "Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."
🚨 WOW! President Trump just went OFF on Pope Leo
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 13, 2026
"I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!"
"I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and… pic.twitter.com/ch9bIfVjqQ
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