Mike Johnson sided with Donald Trump and JD Vance against Pope Leo XIV. The House Speaker said that the religious leader should expect backlash after publicly sharing his political views and criticizing U.S. policy, according to the Independent.
Pope Leo recently appeared on 60 Minutes and spoke about some of the policies that the Trump administration has in place, as well as the conflict in Iran. Johnson responded to the criticism and said that religious leaders who choose to enter political debates should expect a response. “A pontiff or any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response and I think the pope has received some of that,” he said.
Mike Johnson says the Pope had it coming: “A religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously if you wade into political waters, you should expect some political response and I think the Pope has received some of that. Frankly I was taken a bit aback by him saying… pic.twitter.com/QIaohyNUHy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 15, 2026
The dispute between Trump and the pope escalated after the president said that he was “terrible for foreign policy” and “weak on crime.” Pope Leo, for his part, had attacked the Trump administration, and specifically how Hegseth has invoked Jesus in Iran war messaging, during Palm Sunday Mass. “Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war… He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” he stated.
Johnson disagreed with Pope Leo on his stance that war is inherently wrong in Christianity. He pointed out that “just war” is a reason for political conflict in Christianity. He argued that military action can be morally justified under certain conditions and then defended how the Trump administration’s position on Iran. Trump has previously said that Iran has attacked and killed many of its own people, and therefore the war can be justified.
Johnson argued, “That means that potentially millions of innocent people will be able to keep their lives and not be killed by terrorists.” Republicans applauded as he continued, “I don’t want to engage in a theological debate with the pope. I certainly respect the pope. I would just say that these are matters that people of good faith and good sense can think through and debate.”
Vice President JD Vance said Pope Leo should be careful when talking about theology, days after the pontiff emerged as a growing critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran pic.twitter.com/oNS7MIehFn
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 15, 2026
It isn’t only the Speaker of the House who has lambasted the pope on weighing in on political territory. JD Vance, who has been very open about his conversion to Catholicism, has also criticized Pope Leo, saying, “In the same way it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
The pope’s comments come as the U.S. is taking military steps against Iran that has resulted in thousands of deaths and an economic fallout. The price of gas is already hovering around the $4 mark, and is hitting Americans in their pockets.
In February, Johnson also clashed with the pope when he pushed back when the pope criticized immigration policies, and defended stricter border enforcement. He even put it in religious terms for the pontiff, quoting the Bible. And while he said on Wednesday that he doesn’t want to argue with the pope, it seems as if Johnson is also not standing back and will defend his political beliefs at all costs.
