It’s never a good idea to pick a fight with the Pope. Leaders in the Middle Ages learned that lesson and were excommunicated, but Donald Trump and J.D. Vance either are unaware of Pope Leo XIV’s moral authority as the worldwide leader of more than a billion Catholics, or they just don’t care. It’s probably a combination of the two. Mr. Trump is not Catholic, so he was not raised to respect the role of the Pope or instilled with the grace to refrain from challenging his authority over matters of faith, theology, and morality.  Trump says he relies on his “gut” when making decisions.  A pope, on the other hand, must use his head, heart, and soul to inform and frame any papal comments about important issues affecting Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

The dust-up between the Trump Administration and the Vatican is unusual but not surprising.  Picking fights with world leaders is a hallmark of this administration, led by the bully-in-chief and his vice-bully.  Perhaps Pope Leo’s remarks challenging global leaders “who are ravaging the world by spending billions on war” hit too close to home, even though the first American Pope mentioned no names.  Mr. Vance said Pope Leo should “stay out of politics and concentrate on matters of morality.”  As pastor to the world, morality is exactly what Pope Leo was focused on when he said that “the masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild.”  

This was not the first time that J.D. Vance has lectured a pope.  He hadn’t been vice president for a full month before he castigated the late Pope Francis for the church’s aid to immigrants, questioning whether that effort was about humanitarian concerns or simply a worry about the bottom line, such as obtaining government grants to help with refugee resettlements.  (The Trump Administration cancelled an $11 million grant to Florida Catholic Charities last month, although it is unknown whether the cancellation was a result of the most recent dispute.)  When Mr. Vance insisted that the concept of “ordo amoris” (the order of love) meant that the well-being of fellow Americans outweighed any care for immigrants, Pope Francis reminded him that “ordo amoris” teaches that all persons deserve dignified treatment, especially the poorest and marginalized. It does not grant privilege to some and sacrifice to others.            

 My old catechism textbook lays it out incontrovertibly: the Pope and the bishops, as the lawful successors of the apostles, have power from Christ Himself to teach, to sanctify, and to govern the faithful in spiritual matters. As I wrote in a February 2025 column, my Catholic education focused on the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, as well as the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.  There was no “I” or “me” in Catholic school; the focus was on service to others, and how we could make the world a better place. Mr. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019.  What was covered in the pre-baptism classes he took is unknown to me, but he might have benefitted from a broader Catholic education, and learned more about theological and cardinal virtues.  We should want candidates and elected officials to share and practice accepted common values, but Mr. Vance should have figured out that a vice president’s charge is politics.  He should leave theology and morality to Pope Leo.