Vance tells Pontiff to stick to the Bible as row over ‘Just War’ in Iran explodes
BY OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
VICE PRESIDENT JD Vance has sensationally told the Pope to “be careful” when talking about God, as the war of words between the White House and the Vatican reaches boiling point.
In an extraordinary intervention, Mr. Vance—himself a devout Catholic—warned Pope Leo XIV to stick to matters of theology and stop meddling in American foreign policy.
The row erupted after the Pontiff suggested that “God is never on the side of those who wield the sword,” a direct swipe at the Trump administration’s ongoing military campaign in Iran.
Speaking last night, a defiant Vance fired back, accusing the Pope of ignoring a “thousand-year tradition” of the Church’s own teachings on “Just War.”
”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,” Vance warned.
In a move set to stun the Catholic world, he added: “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.
”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.”
BACKGROUND: A HOLY WAR OF WORDS
The clash marks a historic low in relations between Washington and the Holy See. While previous Popes have often clashed with Presidents over policy, the current feud with Pope Leo XIV—the first American-born Pope—has turned deeply personal.
The Spark: The conflict centers on the seven-week-old war in Iran. Pope Leo has used his global platform to condemn the “delusion of omnipotence” driving the conflict, even claiming on Palm Sunday that God “does not listen to the prayers” of those waging war.
The Trump Factor: President Trump has already branded the Pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after the Vatican called for an immediate ceasefire and a ban on aerial bombing.
The Catholic Vote: Vance’s intervention is seen as a strategic move to reassure conservative Catholic voters in the US. By invoking “Just War Theory”—the idea that military force can be morally justified under specific conditions—Vance is attempting to use the Church’s own history to shield the administration from the Pope’s moral rebukes.
As the US military prepares for further strikes in the Middle East, the Vice President has made it clear: the White House will dictate the war, and the Vatican should stick to the pews.
