'Not merely offering opinions': JD Vance schooled for asking Pope to 'be careful' amid feud with Trump

US Vice President JD Vance has been schooled by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for telling the Pope to “be careful" in matters of theology. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement defending the pope’s authority. The committee said the pope is “not merely offering opinions on theology,” but is acting as the “supreme pastor of the universal Church” and “preaching the Gospel.” The statement added that the Pope’s position shows a “thousand-year tradition” of Church teaching, and that war is only justified in self-defense and after all peace efforts have failed.

Amid Pope-Trump feud, Vance during his appearance at the Turning Point event, lashed out at the Pope, saying: “If you're going to opine on matters of theology, you've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth.” Vance said that by invoking just war theory, the centuries-old theological framework that holds that violence can, under specific conditions, be morally justified. He pointed to the Allied liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany as an example. "How can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?" he said. "There is a more than a thousand-year tradition of just war theory." Notably, Vance converted to Catholicism at the age of 35.

Vance was responding to Pope Leo's public criticism of the Trump administration's war on Iran. Leo has denounced the "delusion of omnipotence" he says is fueling the war, warning it is becoming "unpredictable and aggressive." The Pope has explicitly condemned leaders who invoke the "holy Name of God" to justify "discourses of death". He stated that "God does not bless any conflict" and certainly does not side with those who drop bombs. Earlier, Leo called President Trump's threat to "annihilate" Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable." During his Palm Sunday homily, Leo cited scripture to warn that God "rejects the prayers" of those who wage war, saying their hands are “full of blood.” He has urged leaders to "Stop!" and sit at the "table of dialogue and mediation" rather than at the table where deadly actions are decided

Trump is miffed with Pope Leo after he issued several statements against war in Iran. In his latest statement, Trump has said that Pope Leo should know that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent protesters and that it is “absolutely unacceptable" for Iran to have a nuclear bomb. He criticized Pope Leo XIV as “weak on crime” and “terrible” on foreign policy. He hinted that if he would not be in office, Leo would not be Vatican. He also said that there is no necessity to apologise to the Pope. In response, Pope Leo said that he “no fear of the Trump ​administration" and he will “continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue ​and ⁠multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.”

Moreover, Trump also shared an image of himself as Jesus after the feud, prompting massive backlash. He later deleted the post but ended up inviting Iran’s trolling. Iran also issued statements in support of the Pope.

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