Vice President J.D. Vance has expressed disagreement with Pope Leo XIV’s stance on immigration, stating in a recent interview that American Catholics cannot adhere to the pope’s views on all political matters.
The discord between Vance and the newly elected pope became evident during Vance’s discussion with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat on May 21, 2025, in Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass. Vance voiced his opposition to the pope’s more progressive immigration policies, citing his own responsibility to uphold law and order in the United States.
Pope Leo XIV, originally Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago, Illinois, made history on May 8, 2025, as the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church. The 69-year-old former cardinal previously led the Vatican office responsible for bishop nominations globally before his papal elevation.
Vance defended the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies, asserting that excessive immigration disrupts American social unity. “I really do think that social solidarity is destroyed when you have too much migration too quickly,” the vice president stated during the interview.
The disagreement between these two prominent Catholics has deep roots. Before becoming pope, then-Cardinal Prevost criticized Vance’s political views through social media. On February 3, 2025, Prevost shared an article from the National Catholic Reporter with the headline “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
This criticism followed Vance’s appearance on Fox News in late January 2025, where he discussed his interpretation of “ordo amoris,” a theological concept suggesting Christians should prioritize their love hierarchically, beginning with family, then neighbors, community, fellow citizens, and finally the rest of the world. Vance used this doctrine to support the administration’s immigration policies.
Pope Leo XIV’s opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies extends beyond social media. In April 2025, the then-cardinal shared commentary from Catholic writer Rocco Palmo criticizing both Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele over the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father erroneously sent to El Salvador’s prison system.
During his interview with Douthat, Vance acknowledged the challenging balance between his Catholic faith and political duties. He explained that he cannot simply “do everything the Holy Father tells me to do” due to his obligations to the American people. The vice president noted that he does not “just disregard” Church hierarchy positions but makes “a prudential judgment informed very much by the Church’s teachings.”
Vance emphasized his concerns about social cohesion in the United States, reflecting on “how we form the kind of society again where people can raise families, where people join institutions together.” He argued that advocates of mass migration fail to recognize its detrimental impact on the common good at current levels and pace.
The vice president stressed that his opposition to current immigration levels is not driven by animosity toward migrants. Instead, he stated he is “trying to preserve something in my own country where we are a unified nation.”
During their May 19, 2025, meeting at the Vatican, tensions between Vance and Pope Leo XIV were apparent in their brief interaction. The pope offered only a 17-second exchange with Vance during the procession line after the inaugural Mass, while engaging in extended private discussions with other world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Vance delivered a letter from President Trump inviting Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and was heard saying “at some point” in response to the invitation, according to Vatican Media footage.
The vice president also explained why he did not follow the traditional protocol of kissing the pope’s ring during their meeting. He noted that while this is a common gesture of respect for the pontiff, kissing the ring of a foreign leader would be against protocol for an American vice president.
Pope Leo XIV has been active on social media since 2011, using his platform to share views on immigration, racism, and other political issues. His X account gained hundreds of thousands of followers after his papal election, with many examining his previous posts for insights into his political positions.
The pope’s social media activity included criticism of Trump’s immigration policies dating back to 2015, when he shared an article by Cardinal Timothy Dolan titled “Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic.” He has also supported gun violence reform measures and expressed solidarity with movements for racial justice.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in August 2019 at age 35, represents a growing movement of Catholic post-liberalism that critiques individual freedom in favor of state-sponsored promotion of traditional values. His political philosophy draws from the teachings of St. Augustine, the same saint whose order Pope Leo XIV belongs to as a member of the Augustinians.
The relationship between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump administration remains complicated by their fundamental disagreements on immigration policy. The pope has indicated his intention to continue the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who frequently criticized Trump’s immigration enforcement during both his first and second presidencies.