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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CNN cut away from Vice President JD Vance mid-briefing Thursday to launch live coverage of the Obama Presidential Center's grand opening.

Vance was at the White House podium fielding questions about the newly signed memorandum of understanding with Iran when anchor Pamela Brown pulled the plug on the briefing.

"Alright. You've been listening to Vice President JD Vance speaking about this memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, saying that the 60-day negotiating period starts today," Brown said. "We now turn to our special coverage of the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center."

She directed viewers who wanted to keep watching the briefing to CNN All Access via an on-screen QR code.

The network handed off to CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Sara Sidner, who were covering the star-studded Chicago ceremony.

"History unfolding right now on the South Side of Chicago," Blitzer said. "Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama both about to speak on this stage as they unveil the museum and the cultural center that will define their legacy for generations to come."

Sidner, reporting live from Jackson Park, described a scene electric with anticipation.

"There are thousands of people now gathered here," she said, noting the site sits near where Obama launched a career that would see him elected as the nation's first African American president. "The energy here, as high as it gets, and we're just minutes away from the beginning of this ceremony."

Vance had been in the middle of answering a reporter's question about whether the administration planned to brief Congress on the deal's sanctions waivers under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.

Salon columnist Heather Digby Parton noted President Donald Trump appeared unusually exhausted at the Group of Seven summit in France, his worn demeanor revealing more about his weakened standing than his Iran agreement.

The 80-year-old president, who stayed late at a White House UFC birthday celebration before traveling to Évian-les-Bains, notably lacked his usual bronze makeup, wrote Parton.

"His energy is notably low, especially for a gathering like this one; meetings with Europeans usually turn him combative and hostile," she added.

Parton characterized Trump as still smarting over Western leaders' refusal to support his Iran war, now promoting his memorandum of understanding as heroic despite effectively losing the conflict.

The new agreement extends a 60-day ceasefire, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, lifts Iranian oil sanctions, and establishes a $300 billion reconstruction fund while deferring nuclear negotiations.

Trump signed the deal at Versailles, where he speculated about adding a hall of mirrors to his planned White House ballroom.

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