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Posted on 04/20/2026 9:37:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Vice President JD Vance said April 18 he was "grateful" to Pope Leo XIV after the Pontiff pushed back on a media "narrative" casting him and President Donald Trump as adversaries.
Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane while flying from Cameroon to Angola, Pope Leo XIV addressed the dispute with the president that has drawn widespread media attention.
"There's been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself," he said.
The Holy Father was referring to comments earlier in the week in which Trump criticized him in a lengthy social media post, calling him “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” amongst other remarks where Trump described him as “a very liberal person” and said he is “not a fan.”
The Pope spoke about his April 16 peace address, specifically when he said "the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants" and condemned the billions spent on "killing and devastation." Many had read this as a direct rebuke of Trump.
"The talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting," Pope Leo said.
"And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all."
The Pope made clear he intends to keep his focus on the Gospel rather than the political back-and-forth. "So we go on the journey; we continue proclaiming the Gospel message," he said.
NEW: Pope Leo downplays tensions with President Trump, addressing a "narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects."
He says it is “not in my interest at all” to debate the president and will keep preaching a message of peace. pic.twitter.com/DwG6BiUsaP— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 18, 2026
Vance responded to a clip of these remarks by the Pope April 18 on X, welcoming them while acknowledging that genuine disagreements between the administration and the Holy See do exist.
"I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this," Vance wrote. "While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict — and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen — the reality is often much more complicated."
He described the Holy Father and the administration as operating in distinct but complementary roles. "Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day," Vance wrote. "The President — and the entire administration — work to apply those moral principles in a messy world."
The vice president closed saying the Pope will be in their prayers, “and I hope that we'll be in his."
I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated.
Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President–and the entire administration–work to apply those moral principles in a messy world.He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we'll be in his. https://t.co/SxWCKyhDSj— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 18, 2026
Vance has weighed in multiple times over the past week following Trump’s criticisms of Pope Leo.
In an April 13 interview on Fox News with Bret Baier, Vance said the Vatican should “stick to matters of morality” and “let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” The following day, speaking at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia, he pushed back again on the Pope’s rebukes of war, invoking the just war theory and saying the Holy Father should “be careful” when addressing matters of theology.
🚨 JD VANCE RESPONDS TO POPE LEO:
"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 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.""And I think that one of these issues here is that there has been — 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." pic.twitter.com/fV0CkX93Ga— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
His comments drew a swift response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which clarified that the U.S.-Iran conflict does not meet the criteria of a just war.
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Why are there continuing posts about JD being an apologist for the Pope?
Are you a Marco fan?
Sorry, Mr. Vice President, but I’m afraid you’ve been bamboozled.
Good. Pray for peace, prepare for war.
I’m thinking it’s a communication set up that Trump is using, aka Good Cop/ BAD Cop set up.
For now, JD is playing the ‘Good’ or diplomatic and smiling Cop. He did similar when he went to Pakistan.
M. Rubio also followed this method when he recently went to Cuba. Trump is ‘playing’ or just being himself, which at times can be blunt, cranky and bombastic, but always honest.
This pope apparently has a long social media history opposing and criticizing Trump. It’s good that he’s walking back some of this, but this guy is a born and bred Chicago leftist. The fact that some other old guys voted for him to become pope doesn’t change that.
JD really has to walk a tightrope here. Dear leader demands 100% loyalty.
Pope condemns God for removing Saul from power. Adding, “is it really necessary to kill everything?”
The pope,
Hides behind a walled in residence and pays no taxes,
Receives tax subsidies from Italy,
Shuffles pedoes from location to location,
Has trillions in stolen property.
Defended by a private army,
Does it represent it’s community, I don’t know.
I would bet those same voices are cautioning Prevost that if he didn't try and defuse things, his appointment to the papacy was for naught.
Make a statement we don’t care what the pope thinks or say, we are America. I would love that fall-out.
JD Vance and his wife were gracious and kind to the Pope including presenting him with a gift.
Like Trump being kind and gracious to Mamdani.
Will either socialist return kindness to them?
No.
News report:
During a May 19, 2025, meeting at the Vatican, Vice President JD Vance gifted Pope Leo XIV a custom Chicago Bears NFL jersey featuring “Pope Leo” and the number “XIV”. Additionally, Vance presented two books by St. Augustine (”The City of God” and “On Christian Doctrine”) and a bronze sculpture titled “fragile flower”.
But now we know the pope marched with communists as a young man, which explains everything...
Absolutely correct. For him, it is Marx above all else.
RE: Why are there continuing posts about JD being an apologist for the Pope?
Continuing? I believe this is the first post that I did in a long time about JD Vance and the Pope.
This is in the news.
Posting the news ( unless it is fake ) does not necessarily mean I prefer Rubio over Vance.
Either one of them would be better in my view than the Democratic alternative.
Why are there continuing posts about JD being an apologist for the Pope?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
JD is a recent convert and wants to lock up the Catholic vote in 2028. Abd Satan’s Pope wants to ensure that Catholic Charities is not hassled by the Vance administration.
JD is not helping. By keeping this story alive - he is reinforcing the problems American catholics have with their “vicar of Christ.”
his guy is a born and bred Chicago leftist. The fact that some other old guys voted for him to become pope doesn’t change that.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..
As a lifetime Catholic traditionalist and a Republican voter since the Goldwater election, I will support Vance if he’s the next GOP candidate, but only because I detest all Marxist-Democrats. However, I believe it likely that Vance will be adversely influenced by Satan’s Pope, who is obviously a leftist opponent of Trump’s MAGA goals. And I think Rubio is more intelligent and more firmly committed to the MAGA goals.
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