JD Vance found himself pulled into yet another flashpoint over the war in Iran while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia, where the vice president was already addressing rising tensions around the conflict and the growing fallout from criticism aimed at the White House.
Pope Leo has repeatedly condemned the violence, previously saying God ‘does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them’, while also citing the passage: “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood”.
He also told a prayer vigil at St Peter’s Basilica: “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
That criticism has not gone down well with Donald Trump or his allies, and midway through Vance’s recent appearance, things boiled over, as the US’ Vice President was heckled by a member of the audience while speaking about the Pope and the wider row now brewing between Leo and Trump.
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Vance had been responding to the Pope’s stance on Iran when he said: "I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
He then briefly paused to deal with the disruption from the 'random dude' in the crowd, telling him to stop screaming while he's in the middle of answering a question, before continuing.
The vice president reportedly said he respected the Pope’s role as a voice for peace, but pushed back on the suggestion that war could never be justified, pointing to historical examples including the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The exchange adds another layer to the increasingly public spat between Trump’s camp and the Vatican after Pope Leo condemned the war as ‘absurd and inhuman’.
Trump had already launched his own attack on the pontiff days earlier, writing on Truth Social: “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
He added: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
The president also wrote: “And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
In another recent statement on the Iran conflict, Trump wrote: “The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Vance has also struck a hard line on negotiations, saying: “if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand”.
He then added: “If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
Topics: JD Vance, Donald Trump, Pope Leo, Iran
Ben Williams