Vice President JD Vance was interrupted by a heckler during a speech in Georgia as he pushed back against criticism from Pope Leo over the ongoing war in Iran. While addressing the crowd, Vance argued the pontiff should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” prompting a member of the audience to shout over him mid-speech.
JD Vance had been responding to the Pope’s repeated condemnation of the conflict, which Leo described as “absurd and inhuman.” Though Vance acknowledged the Pope Leo’s role as a voice for peace, he took issue with remarks suggesting that “God is never on the side of those who wield the sword,” the Daily Mail reports.
Earlier, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, JD Vance was more blunt, saying: “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
President Donald Trump also launched a series of attacks against the Catholic leader, accusing him of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon.” In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Trump continued, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country.”
God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies. But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day. Wherever there is…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 14, 2026
Despite the criticism by JD Vance and others, Pope Leo signaled he would not back down. Speaking to Reuters ahead of a 10-day trip to Africa, he said: “I don’t want to get into a debate with him.” He added that the message of the Gospel should not be “abused,” emphasizing, “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent lives are being lost. And I think somebody’s got to stand up there and say there’s a better way.”
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
During his rebuke of Pope Leo’s comments, JD Vance pivoted to morality: “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps?” He added, “I certainly think the answer is yes,” before a heckler shouted, “Jesus doesn’t support genocide.”
Vance pressed on despite the disruption, reiterating: “I think it is very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology… If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth…it’s certainly something I would expect from the clergy.”
When the interruptions continued, JD Vance responded: “Hey, random dude screaming, I told you I’d respond to your point, I just want to respond to this question first.”
🚨 WOW. Border Czar Tom Homan just gave the PERFECT response to Pope Leo
“I’m a lifelong Catholic. I wish they’d STAY OUT of immigration, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“Because if they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got r*ped… pic.twitter.com/9KBT1Pbiiu
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
The remarks came during a Turning Point USA event, the conservative organization founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk. The Pope, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, claimed he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and will continue advocating for peace, setting up an increasingly public clash with Trump allies over the moral framing of the war.
President Donald Trump intensified the feud that JD Vance commented upon. with a late-night Truth Social post, writing: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
Pope Leo has also criticized rhetoric coming from Washington, telling worshippers at St. Peter’s Basilica: “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” He previously called Trump’s warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” a “truly unacceptable” statement.
In another fiery post, Trump labeled the pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and stirred further controversy by sharing an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ. He later deleted the image, saying he didn’t want anyone to be “confused,” explaining he saw it as portraying himself as a Red Cross doctor.
President Trump also claimed the Pope’s rise was politically driven, writing: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” and urging him to “get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
