Vance: Vatican "should stick to the church and let the president stick to DICTATING AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY."

[Miles Archer]

Aaron Rupar

‪@atrupar.com‬
JD Vance advises the Vatican to stay out of US politics

JD Vance advises the Vatican to stay out of US politics

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-04-13T22:30:15.397Z

[moonscape]

1. Hey JD

Follow your own advice!

[Irish_Dem]

2. People breaking all of the commandments every day is the Pope's business.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. HA! Vance is forced to admit there's a valid and abiding

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

Thanks JD! Your hypocrisy is priceless!

[Lifeafter70]

28. Not only that he admitted trump was a dictator

I know I know I took it out of context.
But it works for me.

[tanyev]

4. Just as soon as the Trump Administration stops trying to dictate Christianity.

🤨

[Iggo]

5. He's killed before.

[JBTaurus83]

6. Good, keep your religion out of public

Policy, ignorant douche.

[Chasstev365]

7. Yes; Trump is a DICK TATER!

[3catwoman3]

29. A Tater Tot, according to Stormy Daniels.

[ColoringFool]

36. Traitor Tot.

[Chasstev365]

38. 🤣

[Prairie Gates]

8. Vance converts to Protestantism live on televsion

[JBTaurus83]

12. I actually expect him to

He will do anything to become the nominee, and I can’t see how remaining a Catholic is going to be feasible for him.

[Deuxcents]

9. "Caring about people is not political"

[Ocelot II]

10. Hey, JD, go read the Constitution again. Did you sleep through Con Law at Yale?

The president's job is not to dictate policy. The president's job, per the Constitution, is to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" (Article II, Section 3). Those laws arise from the people via their Article I representatives. And if the president has started a war because he felt like it and innocent people are getting killed, the Pope certainly can, and should, use his voice as (supposedly) God's messenger to speak out against the violence and the killing. God isn't cool with war in general, never mind what Pete Kegbreath says.

[DFW]

11. Right, so whenever abortion rights come up for discussion

The clergy in general, and Catholics in particular, should keep their mouths shut, right?

“Except when…..” coming in 5…..4….3…..2….1…..

[dalton99a]

21. +1

[regnaD kciN]

13. Gee, look at who now believes in the separation of church and state...

[BlueNProud]

14. Peace is the church's business.

[Johonny]

15. They are ruining the world and the world isnt

Happy about it, so Vance is going to have to eat the shit he crapped.

[ananda]

16. VD Jance is such a CINO.

Cathoic in name only.

[efhmc]

19. I thought it meant Christian in name only.

[ananda]

20. Same thing.

But Vance really is a so-called Catholic.

[Lifeafter70]

30. He isn't even a holiday catholic

Don't remember seeing him at Mass on Easter Sunday.

[efhmc]

17. "Dictating?"

[waterwatcher123]

18. We do not want him dictating or playing the role of dictator.

[Blue Owl]

22. Then get that fucking Christian Nationalism out too

[Kingofalldems]

23. And he says nothing when hick preachers talk about policy.

[Raven123]

24. So no religious freedom for the Pope?

Funny, JD thought it was ok for him (JD) to explain St Augustine


https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/05/jd-vance-ordo-amoris-augustine-249848/

[Cha]

25. HEY Vance.. Fuck the DICTATOR &

the little mouthpiece Cockroach telling Pope Leo the XIV what to do.

[spanone]

26. J.D. FUCK OFF.

[Skittles]

27. I'm not a religious person but....

when the Pope comments on WAR I think he IS commenting on MORALITY

[Renew Deal]

33. He is

Vance knew he screwed that one up. Also, threatening to destroy a civilization is well within the Pope’s scope.

[3catwoman3]

31. "Dictating" is a most interesting choice of vocabulary.

[Renew Deal]

32. The problem is that the US government decided to cross the religious line

With all of the religious justifications for the war and Old Testament quotes to support “lethality.”

Keep religion out of foreign policy and maybe religion will have a smaller role.

That said, the ending civilization comments are a war crime and my understanding is that they may also be a sin.

[MW67]

34. J D "Maybe it's Maybelline" Vance

Trying to tell the Pope to stay in his lane, how very rich, the laughing stock of the world leadership

[purr-rat beauty]

35. Vance is more like...

...a scion of the Anti-Christ than he is a son of God.

[sop]

37. JD "converting" to Catholicism.

The Pope should excommunicate him for heresy.

[Sequoia]

41. He thought it would benefit him politically.

And remember what happened after he forced a visit with the last Pope. Despicable phony.

[malaise]

39. Dictating

Hmmmmmmmmm!

[Eugene]

40. Coming from a regime that intervenes in everybody else's politics...

An unlawful war that is disrupting the entire world is everybody's business.

And Shady, crimes done in Christ's name are morality issues.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

42. MaddowBlog-Vance escalates White House offensive against Pope Leo

If the White House sees a political upside to its increasingly outlandish papal rebukes, it’s mistaken.

As JD Vance presses the pope to be “careful when he talks about matters of theology” — no, seriously, that’s what he said — a simple question hands overhead:

What exactly is the White House’s strategy here? Do Trump and Vance think the pope will be bullied into silence?
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-04-15T12:59:00.596Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/vance-trump-pope-catholic-church

Not to be outdone, his vice president — the first Catholic Republican to ever hold the office — has joined the rhetorical offensive.

On Monday night, JD Vance appeared on Fox News and insisted that “it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality … and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” Putting aside the fact that the president isn’t supposed to be “dictating” anything, the Ohio Republican’s advice didn’t make a lot of sense: The pope drew Trump’s ire by speaking out on matters such as a deadly and destabilizing war in the Middle East and the plight of immigrants seeking a better life, both of which are, by any reasonable measure, “matters of morality.”

A day later, he upped the ante in an unexpected way. NBC News reported:

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV should ‘be careful’ when he talks about theology, rebuking the pontiff over his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy.

Vance argued that the pope, who has said Jesus ‘is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,’ was failing to take into account conflicts such as World War II.

....Do Trump and Vance believe Leo will be intimidated into silence? Are they trying to send a signal to other religious leaders opposed to the war? Do they believe they can discredit the pontiff, who enjoys stronger public support than they do? Do the Republicans think they’ll appear “tough” by picking a fight with the Vatican? Is this all some sort of elaborate distraction campaign?

I won’t pretend to know their motivation, but if Trump and Vance see a political upside to their increasingly outlandish papal scoldings, they’re mistaken.