Vice President JD Vance to Pope: Words Must Be ‘Anchored in Truth’
Another example that Vice President J.D. Vance cited was the ongoing war in Iran. He referenced an April 10 social media post by Pope Leo that read, in part: “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.”
At the April 14 Turning Point USA event, Vance said:
On the one hand, again, 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? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those innocent people…who had survived the Holocaust? I certainly think the answer is yes.
After being interrupted by a heckler who shouted that Jesus doesn’t support genocide, in reference to Gaza, Vance continued, “There is more than a thousand-year tradition of Just War theory.” We can disagree about whether the Iran conflict is just, said the vice president, who then said he needs to use care discussing public policy and the pope needs to use care discussing theology.
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“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful,” Vance continued. “You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth. 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.”
Vance then addressed the heckler’s concern about Gaza, responding, “Why don’t you complain about Joe Biden in the last administration?” Trump “got a peace agreement” there, the vice president said, and has ensured there’s “more humanitarian aid coming into Gaza than it has any time in the past five years.”
