USA01 July, 20262 min read
JD Vance Calls Vatican Immigration Views Troubling, Disagrees With Pope Leo
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JD Vance calls Vatican immigration views 'troubling' and publicly disagrees with them. Pope Leo XIV criticizes Trump's immigration policies, urges deep reflection on migrants.
Vance vs Vatican
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said during a June 30 interview that he sees some of the Vatican’s views on immigration as “troubling,” and he said he ultimately disagrees with them.
“Vice President JD Vance said during a June 30 interview that he sees some of the Vatican’s views on immigration as ‘troubling.’”
Vance made the remarks in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show, telling host Laura Ingraham, “I do think that some of the things that have come out of the Vatican on the immigration question in particular have been troubling, and ultimately I disagree with it.”
The Vatican’s position was tied to repeated comments from Pope Leo, who called for a “deep reflection” in the United States on the treatment of migrants under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Reuters reported that Pope Leo described the Trump administration as “extremely disrespectful” toward immigrants and criticized what he called “their inhuman” treatment.
Debate over “victims”
Vance said he is not “hostile” toward Catholic leaders who oppose the administration’s immigration policies, and he said he invites them to have a conversation. In the same interview, Vance said, “I invite them to have the conversation but I also encourage them to remember that mass migration has victims.”
The dispute is framed against Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown and deportation drive, which rights groups say has violated free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities concerned about racial profiling. The Catholic Review also reported that Vance said he would hope Catholic leadership has learned from what he and “(Secretary of State Marco Rubio) and the president have said about immigration,” including that it is “also about the dignity of the child who can be sex trafficked by a cartel member when you have open borders.”
Broader policy fallout
The Vatican’s disagreements with Trump extend beyond immigration, with Reuters reporting that the Vatican declined to join Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative for Gaza. Reuters also reported that Pope Leo criticized the Iran war that began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, and he recently praised an interim deal between Washington and Tehran that he hoped would end the conflict.
“The Vatican has declined to join Trump’s so-called ‘Board of Peace’ initiative for Gaza.”
In the U.S., Vance’s immigration comments also drew attention to how his faith is discussed in politics, with The Times of India reporting that he said the Christian concept includes “We want normal Americans to be able to live a dignified life.” The Times of India said Vance linked his faith to economic policy by arguing that “we don’t like low-wage foreigners coming in and undercutting the wages of American workers,” a clip that went viral and triggered criticism from social media users.