Vance’s comments came during a Fox News interview. He was asked about Trump’s recent social media posts attacking the pope. Trump on Sunday called Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” on his Truth Social platform. He also posted and later deleted an AI-generated image showing himself as a Jesus-like figure healing a sick man.
Vance said disagreements between the White House and the Vatican are normal. “When they are in conflict, they are in conflict,” he told Fox News. “I don’t worry about it too much”.
The vice president, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said the Vatican should focus on church matters and leave U.S. policy to the president. “I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” Vance said. “Let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy”.
Trump on Monday defended his criticism of the pope. He told reporters there was “nothing to apologize for” and said the pope was “wrong”. In his Truth Social post, Trump suggested Leo was elected pope in March 2025 only because he is American and the Vatican wanted better ties with the White House.
Pope Leo responded Monday while flying to Africa. He told reporters he has “no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel”. He said he would continue to speak against war.
The pope has been a sharp critic of the U.S. war in Iran, which entered its seventh week. In his Easter speech on April 5, Leo called the conflict a “delusion of omnipotence” and a “discourse of death”. He has also criticized Trump’s immigration policies.
Trump’s attacks drew criticism from Catholic leaders. Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was “disheartened” by the president’s comments. Some of Trump’s own supporters also criticized the AI-generated image of Trump as Jesus.
Vance downplayed the image. He said Trump was “posting a joke” and took it down after realizing many people did not understand his humor. The vice president also said the White House’s disagreement with the pope is not “particularly newsworthy”.
The dispute adds to existing tensions between the Trump administration and the Vatican. In January, Pentagon officials reportedly held a tense meeting with the papal ambassador to the United States. Catholic leaders have described the meeting as threatening toward the Holy See.
Trump also had a rocky relationship with Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor. Francis had suggested Trump was “not a Christian” during the 2016 campaign. Trump called Francis “disgraceful” at the time.