VP JD Vance Responds to Pope’s Views on Immigration

Vice President JD Vance recently addressed Pope Francis’ critiques of the Trump administration’s immigration policies without engaging with the specific points or directly responding to the apparent criticism towards Vance’s use of Catholic traditions in justifying these policies. Speaking at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance, a convert to Catholicism, sought to diffuse any controversy and expressed that he and his family pray for the Pope’s health as he battles pneumonia and other ailments.

While addressing the assembly, Vance emphasized that his intent was not to debate right or wrong on the immigration issue, though he mentioned he would continue to advocate for his beliefs. He expressed respect for Pope Francis, calling him a leader who genuinely cares about the direction of the faith and the Christian community he oversees. Vance also led a prayer for Pope Francis’ recovery, advocating that religious leaders should not be subjected to continuous scrutiny like social-media figures.

Earlier in the month, Pope Francis had condemned the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, arguing it compromises the dignity of migrants. In what was seen as a response to Vance, the Pope emphasized a true understanding of “ordo amoris” — the order of love — which should reflect open fraternity without exceptions, invoking the parable of the Good Samaritan caring for a stranger. Vance had cited “ordo amoris” to support an America-first policy.

On the specific criticism, Vance refrained from elaborating, referring to himself as a “baby Catholic” still learning about his faith since his conversion in 2019. Acknowledging his inexperience, Vance admitted, “I try to be humble as best I can when I talk about the faith publicly, because of course, I’m not always going to get it right.”

Vance also addressed criticism from bishops, omitting details about his previous claims that the Church took millions for resettling illegal immigrants. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has received funding to resettle legally approved refugees and is challenging the administration’s funding cut-off in court. A cardinal labeled Vance’s allegations as unwarranted.

He highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to protect religious liberty, especially for Catholics, including the creation of a task force aimed at eradicating bias against Christians. However, Vance accused the Biden administration of jailing people for praying in silence. This statement stems from Trump’s claim of pardoning a woman jailed for prayer, though she was convicted for obstructing an abortion clinic.

Vance accepted that there are differences of opinion about his actions, contrasting them with the Biden administration’s support for abortion rights. Under Trump, the GOP dropped the call for a constitutional ban on abortion and signed measures to reduce IVF costs, controversial among some abortion opponents for potential embryo discards.

A Marine veteran, Vance remarked that Christian communities have often been affected by flawed U.S. foreign policies over the past decades, likely referring to incidents like the U.S. invasion of Iraq affecting its Christian minority. He praised Trump for his peace-oriented foreign policy, mentioning conflict regions like Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East.

The Catholic minority in Ukraine has been a strong advocate for its country amidst the Russian invasion. In light of these events, Trump was set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss potential U.S. support against future Russian threats.