He added that he was “surprised” the pope criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies in his letter, and then posited the document wasn’t suited for today’s social media-driven discourse.
“I think it’s incumbent upon our religious leaders to recognize that in the era of social media, people will hang on every single word that they utter, even if that wasn’t their intention, and even if a given declaration wasn’t meant for consumption in the social media age,” Vance said.
Vance closed his remarks with an impassioned celebration of the pontiff, who has been seriously ill, saying he and his children have prayed for the pope every day since Francis entered the hospital two weeks ago. Vance grew visibly emotional as he referenced a March 2020 homily by the pope at the beginning of the pandemic, saying the pope’s words were “incredibly meaningful” to him.
He then concluded by leading those gathered in a prayer for Francis.
“If the Holy Father can hear us, I hope he knows that there are thousands of faithful Catholics in this room and millions of faithful Catholics in this country who are praying for him as he weathers his particular storm,” Vance said.
Even with his conciliatory tone, however, tensions between the Trump administration and Catholic leaders are unlikely to subside soon.
In addition to Vance’s back-and-forth with the bishops and Pope Francis, the USCCB has filed suit against the Trump administration over the government’s decision to freeze funds for faith-based organizations involved in refugee resettlement. The lawsuit was referred to mediation on Monday, but on Thursday — the day before a scheduled hearing on the case — the government abruptly canceled its contract with the USCCB altogether and filed a notice in the case arguing the bishops no longer have standing.
This article originally appeared here.
