Richard Luscombe
The Guardian / April 14, 2026
Catholic vice-president effectively tells Leo to stay in his lane after pope criticized the White House over the Iran war.
JD Vance has weighed in on Donald Trump’s feud with Pope Leo, effectively telling the pontiff to stay in his lane after the head of the Catholic church criticized the White House over the Iran war.
“It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” the vice-president – a Catholic convert himself – said in an interview on Fox News on Monday night.
His comments represented the latest twist in the spat between Trump and the first US-born pope that began Saturday when Pope Leo XIV suggested during evening prayers at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that a “delusion of omnipotence” surrounded the Iran war.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” Leo said in thinly veiled commentary on the direction of the Iran war, and the leaders of the US and Israel who control it.
Trump reacted with anger, posting to his Truth Social platform a lengthy diatribe accusing the pope of being “weak on crime” and “catering to the radical left”, and followed up with a now-deleted AI meme depicting himself as a Jesus Christ-like healer, an act which drew outrage from supporters and opponents alike.
Vance’s entrance into the dispute, and loyal defense of his boss, came after Leo responded on Monday by declaring he did not fear the Trump administration, and would continue to “speak strongly” against war, and for peace.
Asked what he made of the episode, which has angered many in Trump’s evangelical base, Vance tried to brush aside the controversy.
“Sometimes we’re going to have disagreements on matters of public policy,” he said.
“We can respect the pope. 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.”
Host Bret Baier pressed Vance on Trump’s comment that the pontiff’s position was “hurting” the Catholic church.
“The president has the prerogative to set American foreign policy, he’s got the prerogative to set American immigration policy. He has to look out for the interests of the United States of America, and that inevitably means that when the Vatican comments on issues of public policy, sometimes there’s going to be agreement, of course, and sometimes there’s going to be disagreement,” he said.
“In some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church. But when they’re in conflict, they’re in conflict. I don’t worry about it too much.”
The backlash to Trump’s posting of the AI-generated image, however, clearly resonated at the White House, which took the post down after a furious response from some of the president’s most fervently Christian supporters. One called the image “disgusting and unacceptable”, and another accused Trump of “outrageous blasphemy”.
At a White House event on Monday, Trump took credit for posting the image, and claimed he was portraying himself as a doctor and not a religious healer, despite his caricature wearing religious-style robes and a person at a fictional patient’s hospital bed with their hands clasped together in prayer.
Vance insisted Trump alone made the decision to remove the post, and not because of the criticism it received.
“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 humour,” he said.
“[He] likes to mix it up on social media. One of the good things about this president is that he’s not filtered, he doesn’t send everything through a communications professional. He actually reaches out directly to the people.”
Vance continued critiquing the pope at an event hosted by Turning Point USA on Tuesday, saying he disagreed with Leo’s recent comment that “anyone who is a disciple of Christ … is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs”.
“I like that the pope is an advocate for peace. I think that’s certainly one of his roles. On the other hand, how can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” the vice-president said. “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps … It’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology … You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth.”
Richard Luscombe is a reporter for Guardian US based in Miami, Florida
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/jd-vance-defends-trump-pope-leo-spat
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[VIDEO] I do not fear Trump, says Pope Leo after US president calls him ‘weak’
Angela Giuffrida
The Guardian / April 14, 2026
Leader of Catholic church says he will continue to speak out against war after president’s extraordinary criticism.
Rome – Pope Leo said he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war after Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against him in which he said he did not think the Chicago-born pontiff was “doing a very good job”, while also suggesting he should “stop catering to the radical left”.
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In remarks that have been widely criticised, the US president used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo while he flew from Florida to Washington on Sunday night, then continued in comments on the tarmac to reporters. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump made the comments after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the US-Israeli war in Iran. While it is not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it is exceedingly rare for the pope to criticise a US leader – and for the president to respond in such a stinging manner.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” He repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying: “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”
Later, he posted a clearly AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, appearing to “cure” a man. He deleted it after a backlash from some of his religious supporters.
Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday, the day the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire. The pope did not mention the US or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared to be directed at Trump and American officials, who have boasted of US military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Leo arrived in Algeria on Monday as part of an 11-day tour of Africa, and during the papal flight he told reporters he was not a politician and that he did not want to enter into a debate with Trump.
“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.” Leo said he did not think the message of the gospel should “be abused, as some are doing”.
“I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems,” he said.
Responding to a question from a US journalist, the pope said: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.”
US bishops have defended Leo, saying he is not a political rival but a “vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the gospel” while their Italian counterparts called on Trump to respect Leo and his ministry.
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said he condemned Trump’s “insult” in a message addressed to Leo on social media. “On behalf of the great nation of Iran, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency and declare that the desecration of Jesus (peace be upon him), the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is unacceptable to any free person,” he wrote.
Italian politicians from across the spectrum also criticised Trump’s comments. Matteo Salvini, the far-right deputy prime minister who has been a staunch supporter of Trump, said: “If anyone is working hard on the issue of peace and conflict resolution, it’s Pope Leo. Attacking the pope, a symbol of peace and a spiritual guide for billions of Catholics, doesn’t seem like a useful or intelligent thing to do.”
Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said Trump’s words were “unacceptable”. But that was only after she came under pressure from the opposition when she omitted to address the remarks in a social media post earlier on Monday that praised Leo for his role in “fostering the return of peace” and his trip to Africa. Her government has formed strategic partnerships on the continent, mainly aimed at addressing irregular immigration.
Meloni, who is ideologically in tune with Trump and has nurtured good relations with him, said in a statement: “I find President Trump’s words toward the Holy Father unacceptable. The pope is the head of the Catholic church, and it is right and proper that he calls for peace and condemns all forms of war.”
Matteo Renzi, Italy’s liberal former prime minister, said it was a “duty” to defend the pope. “Not only for Catholics but also, and above all, for the laity,” he said.
“It’s been centuries since we’ve seen such blatant aggression [against a pope],” Renzi said, describing the pontiff as a “bridge builder”, in contrast to Trump, who he described as “a destroyer of relationships and civilisations”.
Leo’s criticisms of the war have intensified since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began. In ones of his harshest condemnations, he said God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them”.
This was seen as a rebuke to the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, who said he prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”.
Leo has also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen – your hands are full of blood”.
Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “an entire civilization will die tonight”, Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable”.
In his social media post on Sunday night, however, Trump went far beyond the war in Iran in criticising Leo. The president wrote: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States.” That was a reference to the Trump administration ousting the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added, referencing his 2024 election victory.
Trump also suggested in the post that Leo only got his position “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump”.
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump claimed, adding: “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,” adding: “He’s a very liberal person.”
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. But Trump’s administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.
Hegseth has urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ”. When Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said: “I do, because God is good – because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
The US vice-president, JD Vance, urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality”.
Vance told Fox News: “In some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality … and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
Angela Giuffrida is The Guardian’s Rome correspondent
