Note: Tweet in the end of article
Senator JD Vance may have publicly applauded the election of Pope Leo XIV, but signs suggest the newly elected pontiff doesn’t exactly share the sentiment.
Following the death of Pope Francis last month, the Vatican confirmed on May 8 that Cardinal Robert Prevost would succeed him as the head of the Catholic Church. Now Pope Leo XIV, the 69-year-old becomes the first American to ascend to the papacy—a historic moment that quickly drew praise from U.S. leaders.
Among those to welcome the news were President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, with Trump jokingly suggesting he could’ve been next in line for the job. Vance, more formally, took to social media, writing:
“Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”
But while Vance extended the olive branch, Pope Leo has previously signaled reservations about the Ohio senator’s brand of Christianity. Last year, he reshared a sharply critical op-ed from the National Catholic Reporter titled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
The article was a direct response to comments Vance made on Fox News in February, where he outlined a hierarchical view of compassion:
“There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that.”
By reposting the article, Pope Leo appeared to publicly distance himself from Vance’s perspective.
So while the vice president may be eager to show support, it seems Pope Leo XIV isn’t quite ready to return the favor.
