'I’m not fighting with the pope, Ross': Vance gets snippy in NYT interview

During an interview with one of the New York Times resident conservative columnists, Vice President JD Vance objected to the characterization that he is at war with Pope Leo XIV.

Donald Trump’s veep has indulged in a heavy media schedule this week as he promotes his book “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” where he describes his conversion to Catholicism at the age of 35.

Speaking with fellow Catholic Ross Douthat, a former follower of Protestant Pentecostalism before his own conversion, the conversation took a tenser turn when the columnist brought up the recent war of words between Vance and the pontiff.

“I have to take the opportunity to ask you, after God warned us both against it: How have you ended up as a Catholic convert vice president fighting with the pope about the Iran war?” Douthat asked.

“Because I'm not fighting with the pope, Ross,” Vance shot back, despite having previously stated, "I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology," which caused a firestorm for the White House for days.

“And if you look at what I said, you know, in public life you say things, and sometimes you make bone-headed comments, and sometimes you say things that are taken totally out of context,” the vice president protested.

“What I said about the pope is, I actually like that he offers his opinions. I actually like that he’s speaking about the issues of the day and that he’s an advocate for peace. But that doesn’t mean that on provincial questions of how to balance these competing principles, you’re always going to have an elected administration that is going to agree,” he continued.

“And I talk about this in the context of immigration policy, and what I write in the book ——,” he added, only to be interrupted with, “Just stick with Iran. In the context of Iran.”

‘Okay,” Vance agreed. “But what I try to do, is I try to accept — you know, you hear people say: Well you can just ignore this or that clergyman. Or: You can just ignore the pope. I’ve never taken that attitude. What I say is the pope is the leader of the church. He is the leader of the institution that preaches the gospel. He’s an important moral voice, but he also does have a different role from the vice president of the United States.”

He added, “My role is for the American people to try to apply moral principles in ways that get the best outcomes, that lead to the best things, and that balance competing interests. And his role, I think, is to preach the Gospel and to offer his opinions on how he thinks we’re doing. And, fundamentally, that will inevitably lead to some conflict.”

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