US Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that the Vatican should stay out of US politics.
“Focus on moral issues related to what's happening in the Church, and let US President Donald Trump dictate state policy. When there's a conflict between them, there's just a conflict. I'm not too concerned about that“, he said.
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 at the age of 35 after studying privately with monks. He also unveiled a book detailing his conversion to the faith, which will be released in June.
The pope said over the weekend that "delusions of omnipotence" were fueling the war in Iran. Trump responded with a lengthy op-ed, calling Leo XIV - the first American to lead the worldwide Catholic Church - a "very liberal man" who should "stop pandering to the radical left."
He added that he was not happy with the pope's criticism. "Because I'm doing exactly what I was elected to do, and by a huge majority," Trump added.
The president said the pope should be grateful for his appointment, having been elected "simply because he's an American."
Trump later deleted the AI-generated image of himself looking like Christ. "I posted it and I thought it was me as a doctor," he told reporters.
Commenting on it, Vance said many had "missed the humor." "I think Trump posted a joke and of course he deleted it because he realized a lot of people didn't get his humor," he said.