Vance says the pope should be cautious about questions of theology

The Republican, who is Catholic, said at one point in his speech that, just as it is important for the US vice president to be cautious when talking about issues of public policy, he considers it “very important for the pope to be cautious when talking about issues of theology.”

The comment came after President Donald Trump was outraged by the pontiff’s statements condemning violence and the war by Americans and Israel against Iran, currently in a ceasefire.

“I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s acceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible that the US attacked Venezuela, a country that sent enormous amounts of drugs to the US and, even worse, emptied its prisons, including murderers, drug traffickers and homicides, into our country”, Trump published on the Truth Social network last Monday.

At the time, the White House leader described the Pope as “weak in fighting crime” and “terrible at foreign policy.”

During his participation in the conservative event, Vance compared the current conflict in the Middle East to World War II. “Was God on the side of the Americans who freed France from the Nazis?” he asked the public, after referring to the pope’s comment. “Certainly the answer is yes,” he added.

In an interview released earlier on Tuesday, on Fox News, the vice president had praised the pontiff, minimizing his statements about politics.

“I have a lot of respect for the pope. I like him. I admire him. I got to know him a little bit,” Vance said. “It doesn’t bother me when he talks about current affairs—frankly, even when I disagree with how he applies a particular principle.”