Vice President JD Vance — a Catholic convert — has weighed in on President Donald Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, suggesting the religious leader should “stick to matters of morality.”
“When it comes to the disagreements with the Vatican, we’re going to have disagreements from time to time,” Vance, 41, told Fox News on Monday, April 13. “I think it’s a good thing actually that the Pope is advocating for the things that he cares about. But we’re always going to have disagreements on matters of public policy.”
The Vice President went on, “The Pope has been critical of our immigration policy but ultimately the immigration policy of the United States is set by Donald Trump. The Pope is going to have disagreements on other issues. We certainly respect the Pope, we certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican.”
Vice President Vance said it was “totally reasonable” for the Vatican and the White House to disagree on “substantive” issues, though he also suggested it may be best if Pope Leo, 70, stayed out of U.S. foreign policy.
Maria Shriver has strongly condemned President Donald Trump for his scathing criticism of Pope Leo XIV. “We all deserve better, and we all can speak up and demand better,” Shriver, 70, wrote via Instagram on Monday, March 13. “The job of President requires composure, compassion, and the ability not to react to anything and everything […]
“[President Trump] has to look out for the interests of the United States of America,” the politician argued. “That inevitably means that when the Vatican comments on issues of public policy, sometimes there’s going to be agreement and sometimes there’s going to be disagreement. … I certainly think that, 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. Let the President of the United States stick to dictating public policy.”
He added, “When they’re in conflict, they’re in conflict. I don’t worry about it too much … I think it’s a natural thing. I’m sure it will happen in the future.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the Vatican for comment.
Vance converted to Catholicism at age 35 in August 2019 after growing up in an evangelical family.
Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV came out strongly against the U.S. war in Iran during his Easter speech on April 5, calling the military conflict a “delusion of omnipotence” and a “discourse of death.”
President Trump fired back via Truth Social on Sunday, April 12, calling Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.” He also claimed that the only reason Leo was selected as Pope in March 2025 was that the Vatican sought better relations with the White House by choosing an American.
“[The Pope] talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart,” Trump, 79, complained on Sunday.
Pope Leo XIV in Monaco in March 2026. Stephane Cardinale/PLS Monaco Pool/Getty Images
His social media rant went on, “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, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
Pope Leo responded on Monday by telling reporters that he had “no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel.”
That same day, President Trump stood by his criticism of the religious leader during a White House press conference.
“[The Pope] was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result,” Trump told the assembled press. “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things so I’m not [going to apologize].”
Meanwhile, President Trump faced another religious backlash for posting an AI photo depicting himself as Jesus Christ on Sunday. The post was later removed from Truth Social when it sparked outrage from both political allies and opponents.
Trump attempted to downplay the controversy on Monday, telling the White House press pool that he thought the AI photo showed him “as a doctor and had to do with [the] Red Cross.”