— I have never been one to say that Christian leaders should never talk about politics or that political leaders should never talk about their Christian faith. But I think we have to remember that each of us has our own role, Vance emphasized during a meeting at the University of Georgia.
As he added, “the task of the Pope is to preach the Gospel.” — I have great respect for the Pope, I like him, I admire him. “I got to know him a little bit,” he continued.
— In a way, I even like it when there is a dispute. “I like it when the pope talks about immigration, I like it when the pope talks about abortion, I like it when the pope talks about war and peace because I think at least that invites discussion,” Vance said.
He noted that “there are certainly things that the pope has said in the last few months” with which he disagrees.
— Let me cite one very specific example related to the conflict in Iran. The Pope said (…) that God is never on the side of those who use the sword, he continued.
— On the one hand, I like it when the Pope is an advocate of peace. I think that's definitely one of his roles. On the other hand, how can you say that God is never on the side of those who bear the sword? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated the extermination camps and liberated these innocent people from among those who survived the Holocaust? “I certainly think the answer is yes,” Vance said.
“I think that just as it is important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when he talks about public policy, it is also very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about theological matters,” he stressed.
Pope Leo XIV said on Friday that a Christian never sides with those who drop bombs. During an audience with Chaldean bishops in Baghdad, the pope condemned the “blasphemy of war.” He appealed: – Help us clearly announce that God does not bless any conflict and that a Christian never sides with someone who took up a sword yesterday and drops bombs today.
During the meeting, one person in the audience shouted at Vance that the administration was supporting genocide in the Gaza Strip. — When we went in, the situation in Gaza was a complete disaster. Do you know who brokered the peace agreement? President Donald J. Trump. So if you want to complain about what happened in Gaza, why don't you complain about the Joe Biden administration? We are the administration that solved this problem, argued the vice president.
A day earlier, in an interview with Fox News, Vance said that in some cases it would be best if the Vatican focused on issues related to morality and what is happening in the Catholic Church and left the president to deal with politics in the US.
