The Vatican clinch in the shadow of the war with Iran. Vance to the Pope: We will pray, but leave the politics to us

We will pray for Pope Leo XIV and I hope he will pray for us, said US Vice President JD Vance on Saturday. The Pope stated that day that it was not in his interest to hold discussions with US President Donald Trump.

“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative continually fuels conflict – and real disagreements have and will continue to occur – the reality is often much more complicated,” Vance wrote on X.

He added that “Pope Leo is teaching the Gospel as he should and this will inevitably mean that he will offer his opinions on current moral issues.”

“The president and the entire administration are working to implement these moral principles in a complex world,” wrote the US vice president. “He will be in our prayers and I hope we will be in his,” Vance concluded the post.

On Saturday, when asked about Trump's words about him, the pope said: “There was a narrative that was not accurate in all respects, but because of the political situation that arose during the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about me.”

Leo XIV added that “most of what has been written since then has been commentaries on commentaries in an attempt to interpret what was said.”

The American pope also explained that the speeches he is giving during his current pilgrimage to Africa were, in some cases, written as much as two weeks ago.

– This was well before the President of the United States made any comments about me and the message of peace that I spread. And yet it was interpreted as if I was trying to debate him again, and that is not in my interest at all, stressed Leo XIV.

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Chicago-born pope, saying, among other things, that he is not his “fan.” The American leader expressed his comments in posts on the Truth Social platform and in conversations with journalists. In turn, Vance, in an interview for Fox News, 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. On Tuesday, he stressed that just as the vice president should be careful when talking about politics, the pope should be careful when talking about theological matters.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

Sun/Fri/